Twisted
by Conejo-sama
Summary: The next generation of Tangled royalty. Similar plot, with a twist... Click and see...
1. A Twisted Prologue

**It's now one of my all time favorite Disney movies! Hope you like it! I read a bunch of other fanfics of this movie which inspired me to write my own. It's kinda like my "Princess and the Frog" story, except it's not. I hope that makes sense. You'll understand once you start reading.**

**WARNING: This prologue is a bit of a spoiler. So if you're about to read this story and you've never seen the movie, I suggest you watch the movie first because I don't want to ruin it for you.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>A Twisted Prologue<strong>

This is the story of how I repeated my father's legacy… and died.

I know, not a real good way to start a story, but it's my story and it's… kinda true. But I think it's better to tell you how it all started. But don't worry, this story doesn't start as gloomy as it ends, and it's not too far into the past. It begins 19 years ago...

You know the story of the lost princess of the kingdom of Corona, right? She was stolen by an evil hag, found by a thief, fell in love with that thief, returned to the castle, and they lived happily ever, the end. Oh, and did I forget to mention the princess's outrageously long, golden, magical hair that was eventually cut off to save her life? Well, it happened. There was also a pub of singing ruffians, two vengeful brothers, a dutiful palace horse, a sarcastic chameleon, and a battered frying pan, but I think you already knew that.

A honeymoon later, Corona's beloved princess and prince consort announced the expectancy of their first child. It was a very happy occasion, which called for a celebration, which lasted an entire week, and honestly, I can't relate most of it. And for the next nine months, the couple, the king, the queen, and the rest of the palace would prepare for the coming of the baby.

But, seven months later, the princess went into a premature labor. It was a very upsetting time for everyone in the palace, especially the prince consort. Her parents were also very worried about their daughter because the queen had become very sick when she gave birth to her, and they were afraid the same thing was happening again. The princess was in pain, and it didn't seem like she was going to get any better. Don't worry, though; it does get better.

You see, the prince consort never left her side the whole time. When she was in pain, he tried comforting her by singing a special song:

_Flower, gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine,_

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the Fates' design,_

_Save what has been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine._

The magical thing about the sing is that it did make the princess better. In fact, shortly after his song was finished, the princess gave birth to a handsome baby boy. They decided to name him Flynn, after the famous hero himself.

I'll give you a hint: that baby was me.

When my parents first saw me, they were very surprised to see a crop of blonde hair crowning my adorable little head. At first, they decided to cut, but when they did, it remained blonde. The song had more power than they thought, and it gave me, their son, a magical gift that needed to be hidden and protected from those who would manipulate it for their own selfish wants. But even though I was born with this dreaded curse, they still loved me dearly, and they decided to raise me like any normal child—well, any normal child who was born into royalty—for they didn't want history to repeat itself.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Luna, on the same day of the birth of the crowned prince of Corona (a.k.a. me), their beloved queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. But the baby was sick, very sick. When she was born, she didn't cry and she didn't even move. Fortunately she was still alive, but she was running out of time. So, in this desperate time, the kingdom did everything they could for the royal family: they began looking for a miracle, or in this case, a magic flower.

Maybe I should back up a bit because there is a legend behind this miracle. Well, just as Corona was known for the sun, Luna was known for the moon. And a long time ago, before the kingdom of Luna was even born, a droplet of moonlight fell from the sky into a lake one night, just as the sun's dewdrop fell that morning, and blossomed into a lupine, a plant the people of Luna cherished dearly. It was gorgeous flower, consisting of lavender petals and glimmering, like the moon. But this peculiar flower that was blest with the moonlight was a chaste white, and it glowed a thousand times stronger than any normal lupine.

None of the townsfolk knew where this special plant could be hidden, so they looked everywhere in order to save their princess in time.

However, one person did in fact find the legendary lupine. She was a nice old woman, never known to be selfish in any way. She was also known for her beauty, which faded with her youth. When she found the magical flower, her kindness slowly formed into selfishness, and she exploited the flower's power to turn young and beautiful again.

And in order to stay young and beautiful forever, she also had to sing a song to the plant:

_Let your powers reveal,_

_In order to heal,_

_Go back in time,_

_And bring back what once was mine,_

_Flower, shining bright_

_Revive what has been grayed,_

_Recover and be found,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine._

Okay, I think you get it. She sings and she turns young again. Familiar, right?

Anyway, when the young woman saw the people of Luna searching, she hid the flower away instead of sharing the flower's gift. But the effort was fruitless.

One of the soldiers found the flower in the lake and took it back to the king and queen of Luna. Once there, the flower was turned into a remedy, and when they fed it to the baby, the magic of the flower turned her hair shimmering white and she became very healthy. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced at the good news, and to celebrate the birth of their daughter, the king and queen set a lavender lupine in the river, which drifted to the neighboring kingdom.

In Corona, to celebrate my birth, my parents kept the tradition and sent a lantern into the sky, which drifted to Luna. That day, everybody was happy, and for one moment, everything was perfect.

And then that moment ended, for later that night, when the kingdom of Luna was sound asleep, the old woman snuck into the castle, stole the child, and vanished without a trace.

The kingdom searched everywhere for the princess, but they couldn't find the child anywhere. It was a dark time for the kingdom of Luna. The king and queen mourned for their princess, but they wouldn't give up. Each year on her birthday, the king and queen sent thousands of lupines into the river in hope that one day, their lost princess would return…


	2. I Wish

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or its characters. But I do own all OCs.**

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><p><strong>I Wish…<strong>

The Kingdom of Corona was always lively in the morning. From the jolly venders in the shop to the mannerly citizens who walked the streets everyday greeting everyone they passed. But within the castle walls of the sunny town, the pattering of little feet was heard every morning.

Well, not quite. This pattern of taps wasn't heard everyday. At least, not this early in the morning.

The pitter-patter echoed through the hallways of the castle. A passing maid stepped aside as the little tike ran. He suddenly stopped in front of a large door. This door was the same size as any "regular" bedroom door in the vast palace. The little boy struggled to open the huge door, but he could only open it to a crack he could squeeze through not so easily. He fell to the floor with a _thump_ but quickly recovered before getting caught. Fortunately, that didn't faze whoever was in the bed. The little boy slowly crept to the bed, climbed on with a bit of difficulty, and he put his little green companion on one of the pillows. The chameleon crawled onto the unsuspected victim's head and stuck his tongue in his ear.

"AH!" The covers and pillows flew all over the place, and the little boy fell over in a fit of giggles. "What the…?"

"_SURPRIIIIIIIIISE!_"

The older boy gawked at the little boy and his pet as he wiped his wet ear. "What are you and Pascal doing in my bed, squirt?"

As soon as the boy was sobered up, he exclaimed happily, "HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY, FLYNN!"

Flynn ruffled his little brother's hair. "Thanks squirt, but, uh… my birthday's tomorrow."

"That's why I said 'Happy _Almost_ Birthday.'"

"I knew I'd find you here, Teddy." At the now open doors of Flynn's room was a steamed 13-year-old girl. Her arms were crossed, and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders. Her green eyes shot daggers at her brothers. "You weren't supposed to wake him up. You were supposed to be in the dining hall waiting with us. And _you_," she pointed at her disheveled, older brother. "You need to stop sneaking out of the castle at night causing mischief. I don't want to keep covering for you. Do you even know what time it is?"

Flynn sighed. "Calm down, Rose. I wasn't out that long."

"Whatever. Just get ready. It's almost time for breakfast." She crossly slammed the door as soon as she was done barking at her brothers.

When she was gone, both brothers let out a breath. "Rosemarie seems crankier than usual," Teddy said.

"She's just wants to go back into the kitchen to be with her boyfriend, Tony the chef," Flynn joked. It made both boys laugh. When they were done, Flynn took his younger brother in his arms as he got out of bed and set him down on the floor. "Wait outside for me and don't let anyone in the room."

Teddy's brown eyes beamed. "Okay!"

When the boy left, Flynn fell back on the bed to try to get a few more winks before his brother suspected anything. When he did so, he heard a squeak and jumped up. "Oh! Sorry, Pascal!" He picked up the little chameleon and petted him remorsefully. "When did you sneak back into my bed?" Pascal stuck out his tongue. "Wait outside with Teddy." The little chameleon scurried out the room, probably afraid the young man would squash him again. After that little incident, he was afraid to find anything else that Teddy could've left in his bed.

Flynn went into his bathroom to wash up and get ready, instead. As soon as he was done, he went out to get his brother and they both went to the dining hall.

Flynn wasn't too excited to get to the dining hall. Nothing exciting happened inside the castle nowadays because of his busy schedule as the prince and future king. And the only way he could leave was to sneak out.

On their way to the dining hall, Flynn lifted Teddy onto his shoulders, causing the little boy to giggle. As soon as they were there, Flynn put his little brother down and knelt down to his eye level. "I'm going out for a while, so if Mom or Dad ask, I'm in the lavatory."

"Got it!"

He ruffled his brother's hair. "Thanks, squirt. I'll see you later."

Flynn snuck into the kitchen and through a secret exit that he had made himself. No one would ever suspect that he'd escape that way; he didn't like going into the kitchen because the chef always yelled at him for stealing the apples. But whenever the chef and the cooks left the kitchen, it was always the opportune time to go through the secret passage.

As soon as he was outside in front of the castle, he took a deep breath. "This is more like it."

The crowned prince of Corona was always welcomed in the town. Every villager liked the socialite very much. He was very amiable to the townsfolk, being the grandson of Corona's deceased, beloved king and the son of Corona's reigning, just king who was just as beloved, gave him a very renowned reputation—and also having his mother's charm and his father's wanderlust made him very prominent.

"Hey, Flynn!" one said.

"How're you doing, Flynn?" another said.

"Send my regards to the king and queen."

It was like this every time he snuck out of the castle.

"Flynn!" The young man turned to see his best friend, Jerrod, the baker's son. He was just as old as the crowned prince. He had sandy hair tied into a ponytail and a pair of dark eyes. He and the prince had been friends for a long time, but they had their differences like any pair of friends. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, well I had a few minutes to spare so I decided to spend them walking among the commoners," he replied in a fake, snooty accent. "What do you think?"

Jerrod snickered. "Nice impression of the duke of Orae. But seriously, what are you doing in town? You're going to get caught if any of the guards catch you."

"You know how I enjoy the thrill of the chase."

"What's wrong with you? Why so chipper?"

The boys passed a fruit stand where the vender throw each of them a fresh apple. Flynn took a bite of the apple, savoring its taste. "It's not everyday you get a sweet apple like that. You see this?" He pointed to his chin. "You see the juices sliding down my chin? That tells ya it's a quality apple. _Dee-_licious." He took another bite and continued walking ignoring the weird look his friend gave him.

"Okay, now you're freaking me out. Since when are you a fruit connoisseur?"

Flynn took another bite of his apple before confessing to his best friend. "My parents set up another date for me. They've had me meet suitors for the past month and I can't take it anymore." Despite his calm tone, it still sounded painful for him to admit.

"So? You should consider yourself lucky. A lot of guys would kill to be in your position, literally."

"Yeah, well, it's not so fun when your parents have you meet a bunch of spoiled princesses who don't care about anyone but themselves. And most of them are morons. I don't want to have to be stuck with one of them for the rest of my kingship, no less my life."

"Well, your birthday's tomorrow, isn't it? Maybe they'll give you a break."

"Yeah, maybe. The Festival of Lanterns has always been a family thing. But you know the other night, I had an epiphany." Jerrod eyed him suspiciously. He'd never heard his friend talk this way before. "Once I turn eighteen, my life will go down the drain. It'll be filled with so much responsibility that I won't have time for anything fun; I'll probably never see you again." Both friends took the time to dwell on that comment. Flynn was a prince learning to be a king, and Jerrod was the baker's son and protégé, learning to take over his father's business. They were both living two different lives. "You've always been like another brother to me, Jerry, and I won't forget you when I become king." He patted Jerrod's shoulder fraternally.

"But before that happens, my friend, I'll go out and live like there's no today. And for my birthday, my one wish is to do what I want—not to have to sneak through the kingdom just so I can talk to you or anybody else, and not to have to be pressured to marry princesses I've just met."

"What are you telling me for? You should talk to your parents about that."

Flynn spit out the contents of his apple. "Are you kidding me? They'll never go for it. They won't allow me in town during the _daytime_; I'm risking my neck being out here with you right now."

Jerrod shrugged. "You won't know unless you try. Maybe if you'd actually talked to your parents every once and a while, you wouldn't have to sneak out."

"Perhaps you're right. Maybe if I talked with Dad first, he could egg on Mom and I'll be—"

"We've been looking for you, Your Majesty."

Flynn and Jerrod quickly whisked around, faced by two guards. The prince gulped. "—busted."

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><p>Deep in the forests beyond Corona, a wolf was lurking around sniffing out its prey. As soon as she caught the scent, she chased after her target. She caught the kill without difficulty. A whistle called for her to return to her master and show her what she caught. She arrived at a covert, little hovel and through a room where her master was now. Her master was a girl with a pale complexion and lavender eyes. The sun ray's shone through the small window and glistened off her white hair.<p>

One bark bought her master's attention. "Lupe, what'd you find?"

"_Bark!_"

The girl went crawled to the wolf and took her catch. "Oh! These are lovely, Lupe!" Lupe rubbed her head lovingly against her hand. "Begonias, daffodils, daisies—these are perfect!" She rewarded her wolf with a bone with a few strips of meat still stuck to it before petting her one more time. "You did a good job today."

The girl went back to work with the flowers. A large canvas laid on the floor with other white and purple-tinted flowers. She added the additional carnation to her flowery mosaic. "Done! How is it?" She held up the canvas of pressed flowers to the wolf. It looked like the wolf herself. Lupe barked happily. "I knew you'd like it." She hung the canvas higher up on the wall with a collection of her other flower canvases.

"Now if only I could finish this one." She turned her attention to the largest frame she had. It consisted of only three colors: violet, blue, and lavender, and they were all of the same variety. She couldn't figure what kind they were, though.

"I just need one more, but I can't seem to find that perfect one."

She turned back to her canine friend who was gnawing at her bone. "What should we do now?"

Lupe pointed her nose to the door. "No, I can't go out. You know that."

She whined.

"You know why. It's for my own good, remember? Plus Sis locked the door; I can't leave no matter what."

Then she barked.

"No, I'm not going through the doggy door. I wouldn't fit through it, anyway. Besides, we have plenty of fun in here."

She snorted in disagreement.

"Oh come on! There are plenty of fun things we can do. We could, um… wax the floors, again. Or we could dust everything… again."

She shook her head.

"Fine, I admit it—there's nothing fun we can do in here and I _do_ want to go outside!"

She barked again.

"Don't worry, Lupe, because this is it. This is the day I finally ask her… I've never felt so nervous."

Another groan. "I know, I know. It's either now or never. I'll ask her as soon as she enters through the door."

"Selena!"

She gasped. "It's time!" she squealed. Selena ran out of the room, followed by her canine companion. She stopped in front of a young woman. She was a beautiful young woman, with silky blonde hair, dark eyes, and flawless skin. She smiled as she welcomed the young woman, "Welcome back, Ambrose."

Ambrose's rosy lips pursed into a thin line. She set down the basket in her hand before hugging her sister. "Oh, Selena! Look at you! It must be so exhausting having to keep the house neat and tidy by yourself while I'm out," she coddled her sister.

"No, no! It wasn't that hard," was Selena's reply.

"Then I don't see why everything still looks so dirty." She poked her sister's little nose and laughed. "I'm just teasing! It always looks like this."

Selena gave a weak laugh and looked at her friend. Lupe gave her an assertive look. It was either now or never, she reminded her. "Um, so Sis. I have a proposition for you."

"Uh-huh…" As she talked, Ambrose didn't pay attention to anything she was saying. She was too busy gazing at herself in the mirror set up in the corner of the room. She looked at herself lovingly until she saw a liver spot at the corner of her widow's peak. She tensed a bit but quickly recovered so her sister wouldn't notice. "Can you do me a favor and sing for your tired, ole' sister, Selena? It'll make me feel so much better."

"Um… sure," was her thwarted answer, but Ambrose still didn't notice.

Selena quickly arranged the room to sing for her sister as fast as she could. She retrieved a brush, Ambrose's chair, her stool, then she had her sit down and sat in her little stool in front of her sister while singing as quickly as she could, "_Let your power reveal, in order to heal_…"

"Selena, slow down…!" Her white hair glowed and shimmered so fast, Ambrose couldn't keep up with her brush. Her hair sparked, restoring her youth at an alarming rate. "Selena—!"

"So Sis," Selena jumped up from her stool and leaned over her sister's chair, "I was thinking since tomorrow's my birthday—"

"What?" Ambrose laughed. "No, no, no. I distinctively remember your birthday being last year."

"That's the thing about birthdays, Sis—they're kind of an annual thing. And there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Can you tell me about it later? I just remembered I forgot to get some fresh cheese from the market." She retrieved her basket and ran up to the door. "Don't forget, if anyone knocks on the door, don't answer it."

"The door will be locked anyway, Sis."

"I know. I was just testing you. You know how you're so inclined to forget. I'll see you later." She blew a kiss before leaving her sister in their little hovel again.

As soon as she was sure she was gone, Selena slumped into Ambrose's chair. Lupe put her head in her lap and whimpered softly. Selena petted her head in consolation. "Don't worry, Lupe. I'll try again when she comes back. I'll have us leave this place together. You'll see…"

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><p><em><strong>R&amp;R!<strong>_


	3. What's Not Fair

**What's Not Fair**

Rapunzel was pacing. She had always been known to be jittery and worrisome ever since she left the torture tower she once called home. She had also become very cautious about her husband because of his prior death, but she wasn't so worried about him right now—Eugene was safe, watching her in her edgy state, a little amused and worried about his wife.

"Where is he?" she asked herself. "He should be here by now."

"Rapunzel, calm down."

"No, Eugene!" she shouted. "I will _not_ calm down!" Eugene backed off. It didn't seem like she was going to stop her ranting; he just walked into dangerous territory. "I will not calm down until they find him and bring him here where he's safe and sound! He knows that he's not supposed to be out yet he goes against my rules! He's old enough to listen yet he continues to pull these shenanigans! I swear, Eugene, once he comes through those doors, I'm gonna—"

"Your Majesty." The queen turned around to see two guards holding up her eldest son by his arms. His feet hovered over the floor. "We found your son in the marketplace, again."

Rapunzel took a deep and tidied her dress. "Thank you, Lance. Reginald. You may set him down and return to your posts."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The men set down the crowned prince and went back to their duties.

As soon as they were gone, Flynn knew he was about to face hell. But he couldn't let his parents see his fear. So, instead of shuttering under his mother's stare, he faced his parents confidently and said, "Well, I guess I'll just go to my room now—"

"_Flynn_." His mother's stern voice made him stay put. He didn't want to deal with a devil woman right now. "I've told a thousand times to stay in the castle and what do you do? You go off and run around town. And now thanks to your tomfoolery, you're late."

Flynn raised his eyebrow. "Late for what, exactly?"

"Late for meeting Julia. She's been waiting to meet you all day." His mother took his elbow and dragged him to one of the gardens. Under the deck in the shade at one table was a young lady dressed in blue. Her brown hair glided down her back, which was facing them. Flynn pulled his mother behind a pillar.

"Who's Julia?"

"She is the daughter of the duke of Orae," she answered while she fixed her son's vest.

"Mom, I hate the duke of Orae. You know I hate the duke of Orae! Why would you have me meet his daughter of all people?"

"Because she is a nice young lady, and I've heard she's had an eye on you for a while." She tied a cravat around his neck—one that she conveniently pulled out of nowhere—and checked him one more time. "Now go out there and be nice!" She pushed her son into the garden and quickly went back inside. Flynn fell on stomach with an _oomph_. He quickly stood up before anyone noticed. The noise caught Julia's attention and she smiled when she saw the prince.

"Hello, Flynn," she greeted him. He was already beginning to hate her. Her voice was so smug; it sounded like she already had him in her grasp. "It's nice to finally meet you. I heard you were very handsome. That was clearly an understatement."

Flynn gave her a bitter-sweet smile. "Thanks, I guess."

"How about we sit down?"

The prince shrugged. He really didn't care what they did, as long as they did it quickly.

As soon as they sat down, Julia began to jabber. The conversation immediately became disinteresting to the young prince. She droned on about Oraen pearls when his cravat suddenly began to itch—man, how he hated cravats. Suddenly, Flynn felt something heavy on his foot. He glanced down quickly to see his favorite little chameleon. "Pascal," he whispered. "What the heck are you doing here?" Pascal stuck out his tongue. He looked back at Julia, who was still babbling on about pearls, before picking up the little chameleon and putting him in his pocket.

"Did you say something?" Julia suddenly asked.

"No, of course not." _It's not like princesses ever pay attention to anything but their jewelry_, he thought.

"You haven't told me about yourself, Flynn. So what's it like living in this glorious castle?"

"Well, I…" He saw a green blur pass one of the teacups. He felt his pocket to find that Pascal escaped. This was going to be a disaster if Julia discovered him.

Then again, it could be really entertaining.

"Flynn, are you okay?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought I saw something. Anyway, I don't really want to talk about myself. Why don't you just keep telling me about those pearls or whatever. It sounds _real_ interesting."

She smiled eagerly as she continued her less than interesting story. Flynn continued his search for Pascal and finally found him lounging in a teacup. Seeing as it was Julia's teacup made it very comical, and she didn't even notice as the chameleon swam around in her Earl Grey.

He chuckled suddenly. Julia glanced at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly.

She eyed him suspiciously. When she reached for her teacup, he began laughing again. "It's considered rude to laugh at your guests, Flynn."

He stopped abruptly. "Sorry, I wasn't—"

Her cup stopped a few inches from her lips, exactly at the point where Pascal's head almost touched her chin. "You were saying, Flynn?"

"… It's not important."

"_Humph_. That's what I thought." She closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea.

Pascal chirped in alarm and jumped onto the young woman's face, and the prince continued to snicker under his breath as he watched the scene. Julia looked up when she heard him laughing again and saw green. She pulled her cup away to see a little green creature crawling up the bridge of her nose.

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><p>"They look like they're getting along nicely," Rapunzel observed.<p>

She left the garden and went inside to watch her son and Julia with her husband. As the king, Eugene did have more important things than to watch his son socialize with some young woman he just became acquainted with today. But he had to watch his wife in case she did something drastic and/or unnecessary.

"Rapunzel, don't you think we should give them some privacy?"

She sighed. "I guess you're right. Flynn doesn't look like he's doing anything he shouldn't—"

An earsplitting cry broke out from the garden, and the royal couple turned back to see the table turned over, Julia running around like a lunatic, and Flynn laughing hysterically. They knew he had something to do with it, but they didn't see what made her so upset until they saw something green stuck to her face. Eugene stifled a laugh and Rapunzel frowned. She should've known Flynn would pull a trick like this. It was more disappointing that he used Pascal.

Rapunzel and Eugene ran into the garden to try and settle the commotion. The queen ran to the young woman and quickly plucked Pascal off her face. "Calm down, dear. Everything's alright now."

When she put a hand on her shoulder, Julia stopped screaming and shoved it away. "No, it is _not_ alright! Your son is absolutely vulgar!" She smoothed out her dress and fixed her hair before facing the queen again. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't think this is going to work out!" Julia stormed off in flurry.

"Come back soon!" Flynn said in a not so serious tone. He heard her say something very unladylike before she left the garden. Flynn couldn't stop laughing after that. But when he saw his mother's glare, his hysterics ceased.

"Flynnigan Frederick Fitzherbert…!"

"I'm sorry, Mom! But it's not my fault!"

"Oh really? It wasn't your fault that Pascal somehow wandered onto Julia's face?"

"He was in my pocket. I didn't think he would escape and—"

"What was he doing in your pocket in the first place?"

"He wandered onto my foot. I wasn't just going to leave him on the ground."

"I wonder how he got in the garden in the first place," Eugene said. He thought of his youngest son, but he didn't say anything as mother and son continued to argue. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of the storm.

"It doesn't matter what I do or say, they don't interest me at all! I'm not going to keep meeting some girls who don't have any chemistry with me! I'm tired of you setting up dates for me!"

Rapunzel paused for a moment. She didn't want to keep arguing with her son, but he needed to understand that she was only protecting him. "Flynn, I know we do doesn't seem fair—"

"'We?'"

She ignored Eugene. "—but you have to understand that I'm only thinking of what's best for you."

"What's best for me? You thinking picking out my bride is what's best for me? Picking out someone who I'll spend the rest of my life with? You think that's best for me?"

"Well—it's better than having you run around and getting abducted by strangers! How do you think I'd feel if you just disappeared and never came back! I don't know what I'd do…" She put a hand on his shoulder. "The power you possess is something that needs to be kept hidden. You can't just go off in town and—"

Flynn shrugged her hand away furiously. "That's what this is all about? My power?" The queen drew back. "If anyone was after my power, they would've gotten me by now, don't you think? I can defend myself, Mom. I would've thought you'd know that, I thought you could trust me to protect myself, but I guess I was wrong about that too, wasn't I?" He stormed off to his room before his mother could say more.

As soon as he was in his room, he went out to the balcony. Flynn was so steamed, only the fresh air could cool him off, if only a little.

He knew he wasn't going to be able to get his mother to listen. She always kept him inside away from the rest of the world. Why she was so strict about it, he had no clue. But one thing was for sure—he may never leave this castle as long as he lived.

"Flynn!" a little voice cried. He turned to see his teary-eyed little brother holding his hand. "Flynn!"

"Calm down, Teddy. What's wrong?" Teddy showed him his hand. There was a small cut that began to bleed. "How'd this happen?" The little boy shrugged and whimpered as the air stung his wound. "Don't worry, squirt. I'll fix this up in no time."

Flynn took his younger brother's hand in his two larger ones and sang:

_Flower, gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine,_

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

At this point, Flynn's hair began to glow a shimmering gold. His eyes were closed; he was deeply enthralled in the song.

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the Fates' design,_

_Save what has been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine._

When the song was over, his hair stopped glowing, returning to its regular blonde color. Flynn took his hands away to reveal that Teddy's cut was completely healed.

"Thanks, Flynn!" Teddy wrapped his arms around the older boy's neck.

"No problem, squirt. I don't want to hear about anymore accidents from you, okay?"

"Okay!" Teddy flew out of the room mostly likely getting into more mischief, Flynn figured.

He laughed at the thought. He wished he had more freedom like Teddy. Even though he was the youngest, he could basically do whatever he wanted and only got away with a small warning. Flynn knew his powers were precious, but he still didn't think it was fair he couldn't leave the confines of the castle.

Flynn sat on his bed and heard another squeak. "Pascal!" He picked up the little chameleon. "You need to stop hiding in my bed or I might accidentally crush you to death." He tickled the little lizard and he gurgled in pleasure. Pascal jumped out of his hands and climbed up his arm. His little paws tickled the prince. He caught his little friend by the tail before he could get inside his shirt.

"Thanks, Pascal. I know you're trying to cheer me up." The little chameleon purred. Flynn petted his friend. "Even though I can't go outside, I still have you and Teddy… and Rosemarie, I guess."

* * *

><p>Selena ran through the house preparing a little surprise for when her sister returned home. She wanted to convince her that she was old enough and responsible enough to go out on her own—with the exception of Lupe. And the only way she could do that was to prove it.<p>

"Are we ready, Lupe?"

The wolf barked in affirmation.

"_Selena!_" the peculiar voice sang.

"She's here!" Selena ran to the front door to greet her sister again. Her wolf companion joined her. "Get ready, Lupe!" She quickly ran to her position for their little presentation.

As soon as Ambrose entered through the door, she embraced her sister. "I have a surprise for you, dear sister!"

"I have a surprise for you, too," she sang back quietly.

"Me first!" Ambrose set down her basket and unveiled the handkerchief covering her items. "I've saved enough money to buy that cinnamon raisin bread you love so much! We can eat it tomorrow for your birthday! Surprise!"

The younger sister smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"Only the best for my little sister!" She patted her head before unpacking her basket. "Now, what's your surprise?"

"Actually, it's not as much of a surprise as it is a request." Selena cleared her throat before explaining to her sister, "As you know, tomorrow's my birthday—"

"Of course! How could I forgot?"

"—and I'm turning eighteen, so I wanted to ask… what I really, really, _really_ want for this birthday—actually, what I wanted for a few birthdays…" She began twirling her hair nervously. Ambrose eyed her suspiciously. She wasn't sure if this was going to work, but she couldn't quit until she broke her sister. She looked to Lupe for support. She gave her a look that told it was either now or never. She closed her eyes and exhaled before she finally burst out, "I want to go outside and see the flowing flowers!"

Her sister stopped what she was doing and looked at her sister. At first, Selena thought she had upset her sister, but when she heard her sister laugh, she became concerned. "The what?"

"You see, I've been wanting you to release—I-I mean, let me outside and see the flowers that flow in the river. They glow at night and…"

"Oh! You mean the stars that reflect in the water."

"That's the thing. You see…" Selena cued for Lupe to pull out one of her creations that showed the constellations. "I've charted stars in these flowers patterns, and they're always constant. But these, I'm certain, are actual flowers. But I can't recognize them; I can't tell if they're daffodils, or dandelions, or anything like that. I just know they shimmer and glow and flow in the river every year on my birthday. Only on my birthday, though. And I can't help but… _feel_ that they're meant for _me_. I don't want to just see them from my window. I want… I _need_ to see them in person—to see where they come from. I have to know what they are."

Ambrose tapped her chin lightly in consideration. The ashen-haired girl twiddled her fingers, anxiously. She looked at Lupe. She also looked nervous.

_Maybe this could work, _she thought_. Maybe. Just maybe…_

Her sister's sudden laughter startled her. "You want to go outside?"

"Yes…? I just said—"

"Selena," she pinched her cheeks, "You're just as fragile as those flowers. You really think you can possibly make it out there in the real world?"

"Well, how do you I won't unless you let me outside?"

"Because I know you, little sister. You don't know the dangers out there. Dangerous thugs, harmful bugs, the plague—there's so much out that you couldn't handle—"

"But you've never let me out there before." Now Selena was getting mad. She never felt so enraged by her sister before. But now that she thought about it, keeping her in this little hovel all day, everyday, 24/7/365 was suffocating. "I'm growing up, Sis, and tomorrow's my birthday. The least you can do is let me go outside. I think I can handle myself."

"I know you think you can handle yourself, but you're just not strong enough."

"You think I'm not strong enough."

"Oh, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

"But if you just listened—"

"Selena, we're done talking about this."

"But Sis—"

"Selena…"

"Oh, come on—!"

"Enough about the flowers, Selena! You are never leaving this house! EVER!"

Selena backed away from her sister. Ambrose never yelled at her like that before; of course, this was the first time she ever talked back to her. It really stung when her sister shouted at her.

Tears suddenly brimmed at the corners of her eyes. Ambrose sighed when she saw this. "Great. Now _I'm_ the bad guy."

Selena quickly wiped her tears away and held back the ones that threatened to fall. "N-No, it's okay. I-I-It was too big of a request. I'm sorry if I asked f-for too much." She quickly retreated to her room before her sister said anymore.

When she was finally in her room, the young woman fell forward onto her bed and wept like she hadn't before. Her canine friend put her muzzle on the comforter, whimpering next to her master. Selena drew back from the bed and petted Lupe. She needed someone to comfort her, and Lupe was always there for her when she was upset.

"Thanks, Lupe," she said. "We tried, but I think I'm stuck in here, forever." The wolf rested her head on her shoulder, giving Selena the opportunity to her hug. "At least I still have you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN SPOILER Alert: In the movie, anyone who made contact with Rapunzel's hair and sang the song was healed or became younger.**

**I decided instead of having people touch Flynn's hair, he just had to make contact with other people. His blonde hair just shows how much power he has. It would be weird if they touched his hair all the time, anyway. I mean, what if someone broke their ankle? You know how weird that would be if they put their foot on his head? Ew!**

_**R&R!**_


	4. Escape

**Escape**

The kingdom of Luna was a safe haven during the day, so most people would expect robbers and thieves to be lurking around during the night, waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal something valuable. But they wouldn't expect two thieves to go around stealing valuables during the day.

Not even something as valuable as the lost princess's crown.

Two inconspicuous men walked through the streets casually. They slowly turned into an alleyway, quickly changing into a running pace. They stopped at the side of a brick wall. On the other side of the wall, the glorious castle of the Luna kingdom stood proudly with thousands of soldiers guarding the other side of the perimeter.

"You got the stuff?" one man said.

His partner nodded. He pulled out a bag that contained two grappling hooks and rope. They each took their own rope and swung them over the wall. With the grappling hook securely wired up, the two climbed up the wall. On the other side, they saw a few soldiers walking alongside the wall. From where they were perched, they also saw two others were guarding the front gate where the two other soldiers were about to meet. One of the men gestured his head to the left so they would avoid them. From then on, the other man led the way having more knowledge of the structure of the castle.

They went to one of the dais and jumped onto another until they were over the secret sanctum that held the crown. The glass skylight allowed the rays of the sun to shine off the crown. Five guards surrounded the pedestal where the crown was now placed, watching out for any burglars, such as themselves, who would try to steal it.

"This is it, Marty," the taller man said.

His partner sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The shorter man tied a rope around his waist. He jumped down into the sanctum while his partner lowered him down. When he thought he was close enough, he grabbed for the crown. However, it was still too far away.

"Lower," he whispered to his cohort.

"What?"

"Lower," he said a little louder.

"What?"

"I said lower!" The soldiers turned to see the thief trying to steal the lost princess's crown. "Shoot." He quickly grabbed hold of the crown before they could catch him. "Pull me up, Robby!"

His partner did so before the guards grabbed him. Once he was back on the roof, the two thieves fled the castle with the crown safely stored in their bag before any guards showed up outside. They were able to escape the bedlam by entering the forests that were just outside Luna. However, the thieves had a long journey ahead of them before they were scot-free.

* * *

><p>Flynn had been wallowing about in his room for three hours since the time he ruined his date with Julia, the daughter of the duke of Orae. He didn't want to be around his parents right now, but he didn't want to be stuck in his room forever. Of course, if he were to escape again, it would just be the same routine.<p>

Escape. Caught. Princess. Escape. Caught. Princess—the princess sounded more like a punishment. He was getting tired of this customary pattern.

Instead, Flynn decided to do the unthinkable.

Under his bed, he pulled out a bag that contained a set of his father's old clothes, a hat, a few apples, and an empty canteen flask. He packed these things long ago in case he actually wanted to escape for a day, but he never thought he would do it. He was always bluffing to himself. But now, he didn't care how much trouble he'd be in once he left; he'd risk it. He was already in trouble and there was nothing else his parents could possibly take from him now.

Flynn put on his clothes and glanced at the mirror. Then he put on the finishing touch—his hat to cover his blonde hair. After filling his canteen, he made sure he had everything else he needed. Then he checked the hallways before fleeing. It was hard getting past the help because they were at every corner. He was able to pass a suspicious butler when he made it to the kitchen. Unfortunately, his sister was in there assisting one of the cooks—he forgot about his sister's crush, Tony, the chef's son. If he ran into her, she'd tell her parents and he wouldn't be able to leave the castle. Ever. Again.

Fortunately for him, there was another path he could take.

It was a secret passage that he seldom ever used. One, because the kitchen escape was the easiest one to get through. Two, he had forgotten about it long ago, until now. He came across the hall of his ancestors. The latest addition was his grandfather, who poised proudly in his portrait. Before he died, the just king told him about some of the passageways he made when he was once the crowned prince—the kitchen and the alternative were the only ones he could remember right now. Behind his portrait was the other one. He moved the picture slightly and knocked on the wall three times. It opened magically. Once inside, he walked straight ahead until he saw a dim light. He knocked again and the dim light turned into sunshine.

But he wasn't just outside: he was still within the castle walls.

Now the only problem left was getting past the guards. That part was always tricky because the guards were fast learners, so they knew every one of his tricks. Worst of all, Maximus, the most loyal palace horse of Corona, was the head honcho of the palace security. He wasn't as dimwitted as the guards themselves. He would be able to see through his disguise. It was a good thing that he remembered to pack those apples he had before escaping.

Now the only thing he could rely only was Lady Luck.

He took an apple and throw it at a guard. He fell unconscious, and as a result, several other men went to his aid completely dropping their guard. Flynn stepped out from his hiding spot but quickly retreated when he heard the familiar whinny.

The great white stallion was able to catch a whiff of him before he receded into the bushes and was already on his way there. The young prince quickly took out an apple and held up his vulnerable hand. "Here, Maximus." He peeked through the bushes to see the horse's usually concentrated eyes suddenly hypnotized by the delicious, shiny, bruise-free apple. "Freshly picked," he coaxed on. "You want it?" Maximus nodded. "Go get it, boy!" He threw the apple, which hit another soldier. It didn't knock him out, but he was soon attacked by the beguiled palace horse.

It left the prince scot-free and on his way to more freedom.

No one recognized him as he walked leisurely through town. It was like he was invisible, with the exceptional greetings that came his way.

"What are you doing, Flynn?" The said prince turned around to see his best friend giving him an odd look. "And where'd you get those clothes?"

"Why, I don't believe we've met before, stranger."

"Cut the act, Flynn. I know it's you. That's the same hat I got you for your birthday last year."

He sighed. "Fine, you caught me. These are my dad's old clothes. I should've known I wouldn't get past you, Jerrod."

"That's your best friend for ya. So what's up? You usually don't make a second attempt to escape. Did your parents drive you out of the castle again?"

"You could say that." Jerrod eyebrow quirked up in suspicion and he waited for an explanation. "I decided to run away."

"What? Are you crazy? Was your date really that bad?"

He took a deep breath before confessing to his friend, "I had a date with the daughter of the duke of Orae."

"Yikes!" he grimaced.

"Yeah, it was bad."

"So bad that you have to run away?"

"It's not forever. Just for the day. I'll be back in time for the Festival of Lanterns."

"What's this really about, Flynn? It's not just the date, is it? It's… your mom, isn't it?"

Flynn grimaced at the mention of his overprotective mother, who did happen to be one of the reasons why he was running off. "It's more than just that, Jerrod. You remember what I told you this morning, don't you? I need more freedom, so starting now, I'm going to live like there's no today and venture the world… well, as far as I can go for the next day. And I'm going to do it before the responsibilities of being the king of Corona take over my life."

Jerrod shook his head. When he saw Flynn's face, he frowned. "You're serious." The prince nodded firmly. After a few seconds, the baker's son sighed and rubbed his neck. "I know I won't be able to stop you, so I guess I'll just have to help you get to the bridge before you gain some common sense."

"Jerrod, you don't have to…"

"Nonsense. That's what best friends are for."

Flynn smiled sincerely at his best friend. "Thanks, buddy."

The two walked and talked for their last few minutes together until Flynn's departure. They stopped immediately once they were in front of the bridge that would lead him out of Corona. Flynn never went anywhere outside the area for many obvious reasons. Now it was time to prove himself and to show his mother and everybody else who discouraged him how well he could take care of himself outside the castle walls and outside of Corona. But he would be lying to himself if he didn't say he was nervous.

"Well," Jerrod said, "this is my stop."

"Yeah." Flynn faced his friend. "I guess this is where we say goodbye, for now."

"I guess it is." The friends shook each other's hands firmly.

"I'll see soon, my friend."

Jerrod waved him off and watched as he crossed the bridge. Then he walked back to his father's bakery knowing his friend had crossed the bridge safely. Hopefully his best friend would survive the rest of his journey.

On the other side, Flynn took a deep breath and exhaled. He looked back to see his friend going back into the village. When he stepped into the forest, he almost fainted. "I'm free…" he mumbled. It took him a few minutes to marvel the thought. "Okay, calm down, Flynn. You're just outside. It's not a big deal."

A second later, he ran through the forest like a maniac. "_I'm free! I'm free! Hallelujah!_"

He ran through the trees, up a hill, and continued to shout the incantation, "_I'M FREE!_"

On top of the hill, he took a deep, solid breath. He looked out at the world and crossed his arms. "That's how I like my air—free and natural."

When Flynn settled back down on flat land, he stretched out his arms as he walked along the pathway. "Now _this_ is more like it," he murmured to himself. "Fresh air, a nice breeze, and not a brick wall in sight. This is the life." He saw two obscure figures coming towards him. "And it looks like I'm about to make some new friends." When they were closer, he saw that they were running. "That's odd. They seem to be in a hurry. I wonder why."

Even though they didn't look like they were going to stop, Flynn stood and waved at them, anyway. "Hello, fellow travelers! My name's—"

"Move it!" One of the running men shoved him to the ground.

"Well, that's the last time I try to be friendly to strangers I meet on the road." As he sat up, Flynn noticed something on the ground beside him. It was a satchel. "Hm. It seems that they dropped something."

He picked up the bag and began examining it. It looked just like his, only dirtier. The strap looked about ready to break. "Maybe I should run after them and return it," the prince thought to himself. "Then again…" He was very curious about the contents of the bag. Flynn knew better than to look into someone's belongings, but he doubted he would ever see those people again. They were running so fast, he knew he couldn't catch up with them even if he tried. "Just one little peek," he said to himself. "Just one."

When he opened the bag, something shiny glinted in his eye. He closed it quickly and rubbed his eye. He stopped when he heard a thumping noise. Then it stopped. Suddenly, the prince felt something breathing down his neck. He slowly turned to face a palace horse's flaring nostrils.

"AH!"

Flynn backed away until he saw three soldiers mounted on three palace horses. His casket hat flew off, but then he quickly caught it and put it back on securely. "You caught me!" he said. He put his hands over his head and bowed in front of the leading official. "I'm sorry I ran away! Just _please _don't tell my mom! _She'll kill me!_"

"Get up, boy."

The prince looked up away from the ground to study these soldiers more closely. They looked like Corona's soldier's but with a few slight differences. The most obvious distinction was Luna's crescent moon insignia indented on their armor. And even though these soldiers weren't from Corona, it still made him very frightened. He would've patted himself on the back if he wasn't so scared. He made it all the way into Luna territory, and Luna was about five hours away from home, ten on foot; it only felt like ten minutes.

_It must've been all the running I did_, he thought.

"Sorry." He stood from the ground and brushed himself off. "I just—um, how can I help you fine gentlemen?"

"Did you happen to come across anyone suspicious?"

"Suspicious how?"

"We're wasting time with this fool!" one of the other soldiers said.

"Fool?" he murmured.

"He's obviously helping those two thieves! He has two bags to prove it!"

The commanding officer saw the two bags the other soldier mentioned. "What's that you got there, boy?"

Flynn looked at his bag then he glanced at the other one. Then he did a double-take. He forgot he was holding the other satchel. "Oh, well, this is my… _emergency satchel_, in case I lose this one." He patted his original bag. "I don't think this has what you want." When Flynn held up the bag, a little _clink_ was heard. He froze and then quickly recovered. Then he looked at the soldiers who glared at him grippingly. The horses seemed just as intimidating.

"Hand over the bag, boy," the soldier said.

"But I—"

"Hand over the bag," he repeated.

"You can't be serious!" An arrow was shot at his feet. "Oh. Perhaps you are. But I already explained—"

"Men, seize him. We'll take him back to Luna and go after the other two later."

The two soldiers obeyed their commanding officer and got ready to seize the boy. Flynn had other plans, though.

"Hey, we're all men here, aren't we? I think we can arrange some—" He knocked the commanding officer off his horse with the dirty satchel and climbed onto his horse. "I am _not_ getting arrested on my first day outside Corona! _Hiya!_" And with that, the prince and his horse galloped away.

It would've been bad if he was taken to Luna as a criminal. They would discover he was the crowned prince of Corona, and if they thought he was an accomplice to the robbery, it could cause a feud between their kingdom and his. Then he mother would definitely kill him for causing such a feud, which would somehow end in war.

_I probably shouldn't have said I was from Corona._

Flynn's exaggerated imagination was suddenly interrupted when another arrow flew past him. He quickly looked back to see that the three soldiers were following him, along with their commanding officer, who rode with the soldier who called him a fool. If only he could find momentary shelter until they left. However, this chase didn't seem like it was going to end for the poor prince.

"How am I suppose to evade these guys?" Flynn thought aloud. "I need to ditch this horse fast."

The thought gave him an idea. As the palace horse gained speed, Flynn grabbed a vine and swung off his horse, making a quick U-turn. He was glad to be back on his original path, but he still had no idea where to go. The soldiers probably thought he was still on the horse, which gave him a great amount of time to find a hiding place.

As he ran, he saw a chimney popping up from among the trees. The chimney slowly turned into a roof, which slowly turned into a little hovel. Flynn stopped in front of the worn-out house and thought for a moment. It didn't look like anyone lived there. There were weeds growing around it and vines clung to the walls. It was the perfect place to hide.

Flynn walked up to the door and hesitated to put his hand on it. The knob was rusty and it squeaked as he turned it. Once inside, he cleared his throat and said, "Hello? If anyone's here, I'm just going to hide in here for awhile, if you don't mind." No one answered, so he came into the house.

Everything looked cleaner inside the hovel than it did outside. When he went into the house, entered the kitchen. There was a basket filled with cinnamon raisin bread. He was about to grab a piece when he heard something clatter. He turned to see the fireplace. Next to it was a mirror standing in the corner.

Flynn walked up to the mirror and looked at his reflection. He looked like a mess. His hat was crooked and his clothes were dirty. He took off his hat and slid his fingers through his hat hair. "Oh man. Look at me. This is my first day in the wilderness and I look like this. What a day."

He looked in the mirror again. He put his hand on his chin and puckered his lips into a smolder, something his father taught him long ago. And as he did so, he noticed something moving in the background. He quickly turned around to see nothing.

"I guess it's just my crazy imagination gone wild, again," he said. "Now, back to my smolder—"

Before the prince could turn back to the mirror, something hard and cold hit him in the back of the head. And then everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Flynn's wearing the same clothes Eugene wore in the movie (I added the hat. It's a casket hat to hide his hair) and he has the same bag. Anyone who hasn't seen the movie, watch it! It's one of the best! Anyone who has, please read my story! It's one of the best!<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	5. Deal of a Lifetime

**Deal of a Lifetime**

Selena had been wallowing in her room ever since her sister yelled at her. She stopped crying long ago, but she was still disappointed. She was turning eighteen tomorrow, and her sister still treated her like a child. Of course, she didn't expect Ambrose to apologize. Ambrose never apologized because she hated being wrong; Ambrose _always_ had to be right. It was the one flaw she hated about her sister.

"It wouldn't hurt if she just said sorry every once and awhile," Selena said as she petted Lupe soothingly. Her head laid in her lap as she lazily listened to her master. "I mean, Ambrose is always there for me, but now that I think about it, she can be more of a child than I ever was."

The wolf barked in reply.

"Maybe I _was_ asking for too much."

Lupe sat right up and shook her head.

"You're right. But even if Ambrose isn't being fair, she's still my older sister. She's just thinking of what's best for me."

The wolf rose an eyebrow as if she was implying something.

"Who am I kidding? Why do I keep making excuses for her?"

The conversation was interrupted when a knock was heard at the door. "_Selena!_"

Selena rolled her eyes. "Speak of the devil…" Lupe jumped off her bed and hid in the corner, just like she did every time her older sister entered the room. Ambrose was never very fond of animals, especially Lupe, so the wolf avoided her at any cost.

Ambrose slowly came into the flowery decorated room. The younger woman doubtfully looked up at her sister's face and was surprised to see how sorry she looked.

_Maybe she did come to apologize_, she thought hopefully.

"Selena," she said. She sat down next to her dear little sister and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm so very sorry that I yelled at you earlier. It's just… ever since Mother died…" Ambrose began to tear up. She quickly recovered. "I've been responsible for you ever since then. If something were to happen to you… if I let you outside and you were to get hurt, I would never be able to forgive myself, and I don't think Mother would either."

Selena suddenly felt guilty. She never knew their mother—Ambrose told her she died when she was just a baby—but if she was still alive, she knew she would say the same thing.

Of course, that wasn't going to stop her plan.

"I'm sorry, Ambrose. I didn't mean to upset you." She hugged her sister in apology. "Please don't cry. I don't want to go outside, anymore."

Ambrose smiled. "I'm glad to here it."

The sisters hugged one more time before Ambrose decided to leave. When she was halfway through the door, Selena called out to her sister, "Ambrose."

"Yes, dear sister?"

Selena twiddled her fingers a bit. "I've decided… I-I want something else for… my birthday."

Ambrose suddenly became elated. "Oh good! What is it?"

"I… I wanted, um…" The young woman glanced around the room looking from canvas to canvas. "… those buttercups that I weave into necklaces, like the one I made you for your birthday last year. I wanted some for one of my creations." She held her breath as her sister fell into contemplation. She wasn't sure if this plan would work, but she had to try, if only to have freedom for a day.

Ambrose sighed. "Selena, those buttercups are all the way in Corona. It'll take me hours to get there, and I might have to stay over night."

"Well, I thought that it was a better gift than leaving the house." She lowered her head a bit, feigning her disappointment. "It's okay if you can't get them."

When she heard a sigh, she knew she was victorious. Ambrose entered the room again and made her way over to her little sister. "Will you be alright by yourself while I'm gone?"

"I've taken care of myself plenty of times before. I'll be fine. I promise."

"Alright then. I'll get you those buttercups."

The two got ready for Ambrose's departure. Selena prepared a basket of fresh fruit, bread, and cheese for her older sister's journey. Ambrose tied the cloak around her neck and put the hood over her blonde head before receiving her basket.

"I'll be back soon. You know what to do when a stranger comes to the door."

"Don't answer it."

"And if a hoodlum breaks in…"

"Hit him with a frying pan and put him outside."

Ambrose patted her head lightly. "Good girl."

The sisters hugged one last time before she left. "Take care, Sis."

"You, too."

As soon as Ambrose was gone, Selena sighed. "Lupe, she's gone!" The gray wolf ran down to her master and barked happily. "Now don't get too excited. She locked the door, so we're going to have to find some other way to get out of here. Now start sniffing!"

The two spent the next few hours trying to find some way to escape their hovel. The windows were too high up and there wasn't any weak crevices that allowed her to dig her way out. The only available escape was the little doggy door for Lupe, but it was too small for her.

"It's no use, Lupe. I guess having Ambrose leave was a waste."

The wolf whimpered sadly.

"It's okay. You can come and go as you please. You don't have to stay here with me all the time." Lupe shook her head and nudged the back of Selena's knee. The young woman knelt down to her level and petted her tenderly. "You're the greatest, Lupe."

Suddenly, both of their stomachs growled. Selena laughed. "We haven't eaten since this morning, have we? Let's look for something to eat." Lupe followed her white-haired master into the kitchen and waited to see what she would feed her. "Let's see… oh! How about we share some of that cinnamon raisin bread Ambrose bought!" Selena set the basket on the table and uncovered the bread. When she reached for a slice, she brought her hand back. "Maybe I shouldn't take one," she thought to herself. "Ambrose might get mad again. What do you think, Lupe?"

The wolf suddenly growled and ran up to her room. "Lupe?" Leaving the bread exposed, Selena ran upstairs to see what made her friend upset. Lupe was found on her bed with her forepaws on the windowsill. She was still snarling under breath. "What is it, girl?" Selena joined her on the bed and looked out the window. She saw a young man approaching their little hovel. When his hand reached for the rusty knob, she gasped and ran for the kitchen, Lupe right on her tail.

Selena stopped at the top of the staircase when she saw the door open.

"Hello?" a masculine voice said. "If anyone's here, I'm just going to hide in here for awhile, if you don't mind." When no one answered, the young man came into the house.

"That's weird," Selena said. "I thought Ambrose locked the door."

The two continued to observe the man as he entered the kitchen and eyed the basket of cinnamon raisin bread Selena left on the table. Lupe growled again and ran down the stairs. "Lupe, no!" she hissed. Selena ran after her and grabbed the scruff of her neck before she could maul the stranger. However, when she did so, she accidentally knocked over her stool. The young woman held her breath as the stranger looked up from the bread and over at her direction. She finally let her breath out when his attention was drawn away by the giant mirror beside the fireplace.

Selena released Lupe but not before she gave her a glare warning her not to kill the stranger. She had to listen to her sister. She quickly scattered into the kitchen to retrieve the frying pan.

"Oh man. Look at me," she heard the stranger say. "This is my first day in the wilderness and I look like this. What a day."

Selena gripped the frying pan firmly, readying herself to whack the man unconscious. She heard a growl next to her and quickly shushed it. She then tiptoed up to the stranger as he ogled himself in the mirror. However, when her image slowly appeared in the mirror, the stranger stopped what he was doing and looked in her direction. She quickly hid in a dark corner before he had a chance to see her. But she did get a chance to see his face.

For a hoodlum, he was actually quite handsome. He looked about as young as she was, maybe a bit older. Despite his dirty clothes and hat hair, he was glowing. His eyes were hazel and his hair was gorgeously blonde, more gorgeous than her sister's blonde hair; she didn't think that was even possible but it was, and the proof was standing right in front of her.

When the hoodlum was sure he saw nothing, he shrugged. "I guess it's just my crazy imagination gone wild, again," he said. "Now, back to my smolder—"

Selena closed her eyes and swung her frying pan before the stranger could even blink. And then she shrieked and ran behind the mirror. She peeked over to see if he was dead or not, but she was too frightened to walk over and check herself. Lupe, who was observing from the kitchen, stalked over to the unconscious body and sniffed him briefly. She barked once, indicating that he wasn't dead.

The young woman slowly crept towards the comatose hoodlum and poked him with the handle of her weapon. "He's out cold," she murmured. And then she gasped. "I knocked him out!" she suddenly shouted in joy. The wolf looked at her master as if she had suddenly become mad. "Did you see that, Lupe? _I_ knocked him out! _Me!_" Selena laughed and looked in the mirror in satisfaction. "Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, Ambrose?" she said as she twirled her frying pan. "Ask my trusty frying pa—ow!" She frowned at her frying pan and checked in the mirror for any bruises.

As she looked, something in her periphery caught her eye. The hoodlum had two bags strapped around him. The dirtier bag had something shiny protruding from it. She flipped the bag open to find something dazzling. The object had a giant hole in the middle, big enough for her arm to slip through. When she did, Lupe shook her head. She looked through one of jewels; the multiple Lupes she saw shook their heads. She then turned to the mirror, placing the glistening object on her head. It seemed to fit her just right, but the wolf still didn't like it.

Selena put the object back in the bag she found it in and decided to look in the other bag to see if there was also anything interesting in it. She only found a few apples and a water canteen. At the bottom of the bag, she found something green squirming around. When she scooped it out, she ogled the little creature. "You're so adorable!" she squealed as she lightly petted the creature's head. "What were you doing in that dirty bag, little guy?"

The little lizard chirped in delight when he received the affection.

She set the chameleon on her shoulder and turned to her wolf friend. She growled when she saw the new animal. "Be nice," Selena scolded her. Lupe complied reluctantly. The young woman then turned back to the unconscious man on the floor.

"We should probably get rid of this guy now, Lupe. Help me drag him out…" As she grabbed the hoodlum's feet, a thought came to mind. "On second thought… I have an idea." She looked at her new friend on her shoulder. "Maybe you can help us."

The chameleon chirped happily in reply.

* * *

><p>Flynn felt pain before. He had magic hair that could heal injuries and sickness, so he never caught a cold and had flawless skin for eighteen years. But he still had his share of painful endeavors. But never in his life had he ever suffered the pain of being struck in the back of the head by a blunt object. The aftermath felt worse.<p>

When the young prince woke up, he had the worst headache ever. His head was pounding so hard, and he could only see dots of color. "Ow… what hit me?"

His vision cleared soon after, and he could see that he was still in the little hovel. He was sure no one was around when he entered the house, but he was sorely mistaken. And now, as he searched for the door, he realized he was tied up. "Great, just when my day couldn't get any worse…"

Suddenly, a wolf jumped out of the shadows in front of Flynn barking at him viciously. "Whoa! Down, dog! Down!" With his arms and legs bond to the chair, he had no way to defend himself. By some miracle, a whistle blew, and the wolf retreated back into the shadows. His eyes followed the wolf and saw that there was another figure in the dark.

"S-Struggling is pointless," a voice suddenly spoke up. "I know what you are, a-and I'm not afraid of you."

Flynn shook his head. "What?"

The dark figure slowly stepped out of the shadows into the light. The prince's eyes widened when he saw that it was a young women grasping a frying pan, probably as young as he was. She looked beautiful, with her lavender eyes and her cerulean gown. What really made him speechless was her luscious snow-white hair that almost went past her waist. She looked like a goddess.

"Who are you, and how did you find me?" she asked.

He said nothing.

"Who are you, and how did you find me?" she reiterated. She held the frying pan a bit higher as if she were getting ready to hit him again. "If you don't answer, I'll call Lupe in here again, and you'll have to deal with her."

He didn't know how he was going to answer her. He couldn't just say, "I'm Flynnigan Frederick Fitzherbert, the prince of Corona. By the way, I ran away from home because of my overprotective mother." It was suspicious enough that he invaded her home.

_Now's the perfect time to use that Fitzherbert charm._

"I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you," he began sincerely. "But may I just say…" Flynn broke from his sincere face and gave her a debonair smile. "Hi. How you doing? My name's Flynn."

"Flynn? As in Flynn Rider, the infamous thief?"

"Um…" Flynn didn't think this through. Before his father joined the life of royalty, he was a notorious thief. His father told him many anecdotes of his adventures; they were old tales, so he didn't think anyone would still know about him. This girl didn't know him or his dad, but if he were to use his father's old persona, how much trouble could he possibly get in? "Yeah, I guess," he finally answered.

"My sister told me you were the most wanted criminal before I was born, but then you suddenly disappeared. Have you come for me, Flynn Rider?" she asked vehemently. "And who else knows my location?"

He sighed. This girl wasn't making any sense. "Listen, Snow White—"

"Selena."

"—here's the deal. I was in a tight situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your cozy, little hovel and…" Flynn stopped his story when he suddenly remembered something. He anxiously glanced around the room to find that his satchels were missing. "Oh! Oh, no. Where are my bags?" The girl tossed one bag in front of him. A few apples fell out and rolled near his boots. "I said _bags_. Where is my other satchel?"

"I've hidden it," Selena said confidently. "Somewhere you'll never find it."

Flynn glanced around again and found an empty pot sitting in the corner of the room. "It's in that pot, isn't it?"

Before he could blink, he was once again hit by the loathsome frying pan.

…

When Flynn woke up again, he saw the girl smirking with her arms crossed. "Would you stop hitting me with that blasted frying pan?"

"_Now_ it's hidden where you'll never find it. So, what do you want with my hair?" She twirled one of her curls curiously. "To cut it?"

"What?"

"Sell it?"

"No! Why on Earth would I want _your_ hair? Sure, the color is… unique, but the only thing I want right now is to _leave_."

She released the curl twisted around her finger in surprise. "You… you're serious?"

"Yes! Look, I was being chased, I saw your hovel, and I hid in it. End of story." Selena pointed the pan at his face. On that command, Lupe came out of the shadows again and sniffed Flynn to find any hint of deception. Then she growled at him before returning to her owner.

Girl and dog each exchanged glances as if they were communicating in their own silent language. Selena gave her an unsure look. Lupe glared back telling her to go on with her plan. It was either now or never.

Flynn had no idea what was going on, but he needed to leave before this Selena girl decided to do something worse than hitting him with a frying pan.

"Okay, Flynn Rider," Selena finally said. "I'll make you a deal."

"Deal?" he echoed.

She ignored him as she walked across the room. She then pulled a string, releasing the blinds and allowing light to enter the dark room. "Look over here." She pulled out the canvas that showed the floating petals she saw outside her window every year on her birthday. Lupe did the honors of pushing his chair over so he could see. But when she did, the chair fell sideways. "Do you know what these are?" Selena asked.

Flynn tried his best to decipher her petal collage. The blue flowers looked like a river flowing downhill. White flowers were flowing in the river of blue petals. Next to the river was a cluster of pale, dusty-colored flowers that materialized into the hovel they were in. Above the scene was a midnight sky and the full moon, which were also made of petals. In the sky were a few yellow and orange petals. He recognized the flowers in the river that Selena was pointing at as lupines, the ones that flowed into Corona every year on his birthday. That meant the amber petals in the sky were the lanterns.

"Those are the glowing lupines the people of Luna send down the river for their lost princess," he explained.

"Lupines?" Selena repeated to herself. "So that's what they're called. I knew they weren't stars." She cleared her throat before speaking to Flynn again. "What do you call these then?" She pointed at the amber petals.

"Those are the lanterns they send into the sky for the prince of Corona."

"Well, tomorrow evening, the rivers will be flowing with these 'glowing lupines', and the night sky will be lit with these 'lanterns'. You," she pointed her frying pan at him, "will act as my guide, take me to see these the lupines and the lanterns, and return me home safely."

"Wait, you just want me to take you outside, and then you'll give me my satchel back?"

"You can't just simply take me outside; you have to do more than that. I want you to take me to the border of the kingdoms Corona and Luna so I can watch both festivities. And _then_, and only then, I will return your other satchel to you. That is my deal."

The deal sounded simple enough, except for the part when he had to take her to the Corona and Luna border. If they were to get caught, the soldiers from Luna would arrest him, and then not only would his mother kill him, but he would be in so much trouble, there would be enough punishment left over for Rosemarie, Teddy, and even his father, the king of Corona.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Unfortunately, the kingdom and I aren't 'simpatico' at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere."

Selena exchanged glances at Lupe again. They smirked at each other before turning back to the young man tied to the upturned chair.

"Something brought you here, Flynn Rider," Selena said as she stepped closer to him. "Call it what you will: fate, destiny…"

"A horse."

"So I've decided to trust you."

"Not a very smart thing to do, if you ask me."

"But trust me when I tell you this." Selena flipped the chair back up with her foot and caught the back of the chair so now they were face-to-face. "You can tear this place apart stone by stone, but without _my_ help, you will never find your precious satchel. I promise you that." Flynn stared at her in disbelief. "And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise." He raised an eyebrow. "_Ever_."

"Sorry, but not even your dog over there is going to convince me." Lupe growled at him.

"Are you sure?" Selena released the chair and Flynn fell on his face. "You wouldn't want to risk your little friend's life, would you?"

"Wittle fwiend?" Flynn's muffled voice replied. His attention was drawn over to the cauldron in the fireplace. Something green was squirming over the caldron. "Pascal?" Selena pulled the chair up so Flynn could fully see the little chameleon tied to the stake over the cauldron. "Pascal! You followed me?"

"I found him in your bag. He's our hostage, for now, but if you don't escort me to the kingdom of Luna to see the festivities, he'll be dinner for Lupe." The wolf licked her lips at the mention of dinner.

Flynn looked back and forth from Selena to Pascal. "How stupid do you think I am?"

Selena sighed. "Pascal, you can come down now." The little chameleon crawled off the stake and onto the young woman's shoulder. "How'd you call my bluff?"

"Are you kidding me? The fireplace isn't even lit."

Selena and Lupe face-palmed. "Alright, alright. I would never hurt this little guy just to get what I want. He's too cute." She scratched his chin and he purred happily. "And besides, Lupe doesn't eat anything alive. But," she leaned forward on the chair so they were face-to-face again, "I do promise not to return your satchel until you commit to our deal."

Flynn sighed. "Alright, listen. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder." He bowed his head down to prepare to show off his signature smolder. When he pulled his head up, his lips pursed out, and he looked up at the young woman adoringly. She merely stared at him. "This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen." She continued to stare at him completely unaffected by his smolder. He gave in. "Fine! I'll do it."

"Really!" Selena cried out. She released Flynn's chair and he fell down again. Selena ran over to Lupe and hugged her. "We did it, girl! We're finally leaving this place!" Lupe barked happily in reply. The two danced around the room until their little celebration was interrupted by a moan. Selena looked back at the young man lying facedown on the floor. "Oops," Selena said shyly. "Sorry."

"You broke my smolder!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>R&amp;R!<strong>_


	6. Into the Woods

**Into the Woods**

Robby and Marty ran as fast they could so they could lose the soldiers from Luna. They bumped into one person, but they just simply pushed him away. Nothing could get in their way. They needed to get out of Luna territory, or at least lose the authorities, and they'd be scot-free.

"How much farther?" Marty asked.

"Not until we lose them!" Robby shouted back.

The two took a U-turn and lost the soldiers behind a boulder. It was when they were able to catch their breaths Robby saw their bounty posted on the tree next to the boulder. "Thieving Brothers: $1000," was what it read.

"That bounty of ours gets higher each day." He crumpled the poster up and threw it away. Then he turned to Marty and said, "Alright, let's check the merchandise."

However, Marty found that his hands were empty. "Uh-oh."

"You lost the satchel?"

"I must've dropped it when I ran into guy on the road."

"What guy on the road?"

"The guy with the hat."

Robby tried to remember who Marty was talking about and an image of a young man greeting them in the middle of their path suddenly came to mind. He remembered the stranger also had a satchel that looked almost identical to theirs. "That guy… We have to go back and get it."

"What? And risk getting arrested?"

"We have no choice! If we don't have that crown, we won't get our money!"

Marty sighed exasperatedly. "How are we going to find this guy? How do we even know he has the satchel?"

"Because anyone with common sense wouldn't just leave a bag with valuable merchandise in the middle of the woods!" The two robbers stopped breathing when they heard the hooves of palace horses galloping near their location. "Come on!" Robby hissed. The brothers then ran back towards the kingdom of Luna to retrieve their merchandise.

* * *

><p>"You coming, Snow White?"<p>

"Just wait a second!"

Flynn sighed heavily. He was outside waiting for Selena, who was still inside the doorframe. She wasn't kidding when she said she never stepped foot outside.

"You've been standing there for five minutes! What's taking you so long? You were so excited to leave this place a moment ago."

"But that was before you agreed to take me!"

Flynn glanced at the chameleon on his shoulder and they exchanged glances. They waited a little longer for her to move, but Selena still stood in the doorway. "It's just grass. It won't bite."

She glared at him. "I know it won't bite!"

"Then what's the matter?"

"I don't know… I think I'm scared."

Flynn face-palmed. "No kidding. Maybe you just need a little push. Here." He held out his hand.

"No, no, no. It's okay. I'll just…" Selena was caught off guard when Lupe suddenly pushed her outside. The young woman fell flat on her face. When she got up, she glared at the canine. "Lupe!" The wolf grinned victoriously before trotting past her.

When Selena stood, the dewy sensation of the grass tickled underneath her feet. She felt each blade of grass between her toes. She then ran up to the river, the one she always saw from her bedroom window, and put her hand in the water. It was cool and refreshing feeling the flow on her hand. On the edge of the river was a flower, a dandelion. She plucked it from the ground and took a short whiff of it. The fragrance was wonderful.

All of a sudden, the girl was running across the river, twirling and cavorting about in ecstasy. Flynn was not amused.

"I can't believe I did this," she murmured to herself when she stopped dancing. She gasped. "I can't believe I did this." Then she laughed. "I can't believe I did this!" She gasped again and covered her mouth. "Ambrose would be so furious."

Selena was suddenly sitting on a rock in a pond, holding a lily pad. "That's okay," she said as if she were talking to the flower. "I mean, what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?"

She huddled herself in a cave sitting in the fetal position. "Oh my gosh! This is going to hurt her _so much_!"

Flynn's arm were crossed as she ran around in an open field. "_This is so much fun!_" Selena cried out as kicked a pile of leaves. He grimaced grouchily.

Selena was now sitting on a branch, hugging a tree. "I am a _terrible_ sister. I should go back. I _have_ to go back."

Lupe looked at her very worried. Her master was never so bipolar.

"I am _never_ going back!" the ashen-haired girl suddenly exclaimed, cartwheeling down a hill.

Pascal rolled his eyes. It was like déjà vu to him.

Now the group was sitting in a field of flowers. Selena was lying facedown.

"_I am a despicable human being!_" she mumbled into the ground.

Flynn sighed as he leaned against a tree. Lupe and Pascal watched the young woman as she swung on a vine in the tree.

"Whoo-hoo! BEST. DAY. _EVER!_"

Flynn couldn't take it anymore. This girl obviously couldn't bare the guilt of leaving her home without the aforementioned sister's permission, but she also had too much enthusiasm; it was leading them nowhere. At this rate, it would take them at least two more days to get to Luna, and his day of freedom would've been wasted. And not only that, he also wouldn't be able to return home like he promised Jerrod. He had to do something quick. He could only think of two ideas:

He could either ditch the girl to fend for herself (his conscience wouldn't allow him to do such a thing, though. His mother taught him better than that), or he could convince her to return to her little hovel on her own so he could get his satchel back.

Pascal slapped his cheek with his little tail. "Ow!" The chameleon gestured towards Selena, who was now crying against a boulder. Lupe was nudging her arm, but the young woman wouldn't budge. "Alright, alright. I'll handle this."

As Flynn walked up to girl, Lupe snarled at him. He set the chameleon on her head to distract her for the moment. He knelt beside the girl so they were on the same eye level. He cleared his throat before speaking to her.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice you seem a little at war with yourself."

Selena wiped her eyes and sniffed before looking up at Flynn. "Wha—What?" she squeaked.

"I'm only picking up bits and pieces here," he said as he stood. "Overprotective older sister. Forbidden road trip. This is some really serious stuff here. But let me ease your conscience. This is just a part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure—that's good. Healthy, even."

Selena wiped her nose. "Really?"

"Yeah." He ignored Pascal as he rolled his eyes at him. "I know how you feel. You're way over-thinking this, trust me." It was really easy getting through to Selena. He was in the same situation, so he could empathize. However, when he left his kingdom, he didn't feel guilty at all about it. Well, only slightly.

He tried to forget his departure as he continued, "Does your sister deserve it? No. Would this break her heart and crush her soul? Most definitely. But it's something you just have to do."

Selena gasped. "'Break her heart'?"

Flynn nodded as he plucked a berry from the bush next to them. "In half."

"'Crush her soul'?"

He squeezed the fruit effortlessly with his index finger and thumb. "Like a grape."

"She would be heartbroken, wouldn't she?" she said as she stood from the ground. "You're right."

"I am, aren't I? Oh, bother." He sighed melodramatically. "Alright. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal."

"What?" she gasped. Lupe's ears perked up. She knew he was up to no good.

"That's right." He grabbed the frying pan that was leaning against the boulder beside them. "But don't thank me. Let's just turn around and get you home. Here's your pan and your dog." He took Pascal off Lupe's head and pushed her towards Selena. Then he began to push her in the direction of her home. "I get back my satchel, you get back a sister-sister relationship based on mutual trust, and we'll never have to see each other again."

She pushed him away. "No, I'm still going to that festival."

"Oh, come on!" he cried. He was so sure that plan was going to work. "What's it going to take to get my satchel back?"

She pointed her frying pan at him. "I will use this." The bush behind them suddenly began to shake. Selena jumped behind Flynn and pointed her pan at the bush. "What is it? Is it ruffians? Thugs? Hoodlums?"

A rabbit jumped at the bushes and blinked at them innocently. "Careful. It can probably smell fear," Flynn said sarcastically.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm just a bit jumpy." An awkward rumbling noise erupted abruptly. Selena held her stomach shyly. "And a bit hungry."

Flynn thought for a moment. "Yeah, it'd probably be best if we avoided any hoodlums, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah." Selena laughed and rubbed her arm nervously. "That would probably be best."

That gave him an excellent idea. "You know what? I think I'm a bit famished myself."

"Can we have some of those apples?"

"Oh, you don't want those. They're too bruised and dirty. But I do know this great place for lunch."

"Where?"

"Oh, don't worry." Flynn grabbed the head of the pan and began pulling her further into the woods. "You'll know it when you smell it!"

* * *

><p>Anyone who lived in Corona knew who Maximus was. He was the best palace horse you would ever know. He was swift, crafty, and just too darn good at his job. But today he made an utter mistake.<p>

When he saw Flynn in the bushes, he knew it was trouble. Flynn wasn't allowed outside the walls of the castle, every guard knew that. Maximus was in charge of Corona's soldiers, so he was obligated to keep the crowned prince inside the kingdom. However, Flynn knew his weakness:

The delicious, succulent, traitorous red apple.

Once he saw it, he was mesmerized. By the time he got the apple, Flynn was already gone. He had failed.

Now it was his responsibility to bring him back.

His scent was still fresh. It drifted around the village. It was especially strong near the bakery where he saw the baker's son sweeping outside the shop. Looking at the young man, Maximus's eyes were suddenly filled with cognizance. This young man—Jerrod was his name—was Flynn's best friend. He usually caught the young prince with this boy whenever he snuck out of the castle, and the fact that Flynn's scent was surrounding this place made Jerrod appear very shady.

The palace horse strutted up behind the unsuspecting young man until he was baring a shadow over him. The shadow he cast was very familiar to the baker's son, so he regretted turning around.

"Hey, Max," Jerrod greeted hesitantly. "I'm guessing you're looking for Flynn."

The horse grunted in reply.

"Well, to be honest, I have no idea where he is. But it was nice catching up with you…!"

Maximus grabbed his shirt with his teeth before the young man could get away. Jerrod sighed in defeat. "Fine. He left the village, but that's all you're getting out of me."

Maximus raised an eyebrow.

…

"Get me down! Put me _down_, Maximus!" Jerrod soon found himself dangling from a precipice.

Whenever Maximus didn't get his way, he'd turn to drastic measures. Jerrod didn't know they'd be this drastic, though. If he did, then he would've gone with Flynn just to avoid the overly-faithful palace horse.

"Come on, Max! You know I can't just _tell_ you where Flynn is! He's my best friend."

Maximus's grip on his pants loosened.

"You'll get fired if they find I'm missing…!"

Jerrod felt himself get lowered.

"You know I'm afraid of heights, Max…!"

He could already feel himself falling.

"Alright, alright! I don't exactly know where Flynn's going, but he won't be back until tomorrow! Honest!"

Maximus swiftly threw the boy back onto land. He was very disappointed by the information he received. He knew Jerrod was telling the truth. Flynn probably suspected he'd be after his best friend. He was getting cleverer each day.

Jerrod grabbed his chest, hyperventilating as soon as he felt the ground. When he finally calmed down, he hollered at the horse, "Are you _insane_! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He stood and brushed himself. He began heading back to Corona as he mumbled to himself. "Flynn is going to kill me when he finds out I ratted him out. I'm supposed to be his best friend and I blew his cover. I hope you know how guilty I feel, Max, because it's your fault—"

Maximus stopped him in his tracks before he could get away. Jerrod observed the horse as he suddenly began sniffing around the area. When he found Flynn's scent again, he pointed down the trail. He glanced at Jerrod a few times, indicating him to follow.

"You want me to come with you?" Maximus shook his head affirmatively. "No way! After what you just did, why should I help you?" The horse glanced at the precipice behind them suggestively. The young man gulped timidly. "Fine. I'll come as long as we're not near anymore cliffs."

Maximus pulled the boy onto his saddle and ran like the wind. Jerrod had a terrible time trying to stay on.

Their journey was like a pattern: Every few steps he took, Maximus would run so fast, every time he came to an abrupt stop, Jerrod nearly flew off his saddle.

"Would you _stop that_?" he finally said. "How am I supposed to stay on your saddle if you keep stopping without warning to sniff around for clues?"

Maximus merely snorted indifferently as he continued to run. This boy obviously never rode a horse before.

He was having a hard time tracking Flynn's scent again, but then something caught his nose. He stopped again, and this time, Jerrod did fly off. He landed in a bush somewhere—Maximus wasn't paying attention. Once Flynn was on the brain, nothing else was important at the moment.

He sniffed about until he was in front of tree. On the tree was a bounty poster. It had a picture of two ruthless thugs, one taller than the other. Under the picture, it read "Thieving Brothers: $2000." It looked like the someone changed the bounty because the original number was crossed off and replaced with a two.

This wasn't good. The crowned prince of Corona was roaming about while these ruffians were running free. Flynn should've known better than to just run off. There were many crooks still running around, and the kid barely knew how to protect himself.

A crunch from a branch made Maximus alert. The scent wasn't Flynn's. He wouldn't take any chances, so he hid behind a bush that looked awfully like the horse himself. When he sensed the stranger approaching, he jumped out of his hiding spot and neighed menacingly. Unfortunately, he only scared an innocent young woman. He nickered discontentedly.

The woman breathed a sigh of relief. "You're just a palace horse. But, where's your rider?" Her eyes widened at the sight of his empty saddle. "Oh no. Selena!" The woman took off. Maximus watched her precariously.

"Max!" The horse turned at the sound of the irate voice. He snickered at the sight of the unkempt boy with leaves in his sandy brown hair. "Will you give me a little warning next time! _Jeez!_ I landed in a bush this time, but next time I might not be so lucky. Why'd you stop, anyway? Did you find Flynn?"

Maximus looked at the spot where the woman disappeared as the boy climbed back on his saddle before he ran back onto Flynn's trail once again.

* * *

><p>Ambrose didn't want to believe it. Once she saw the empty saddle on that palace horse, she had to make sure. She ran as fast as she could to their little hovel, the one she thought would protect her sister all these years. She even dropped her basket on the way to gain more speed. She didn't know how she could possibly go any faster.<p>

Once she was at the hovel, Ambrose gasped when she saw that the door was open. She should've known better. The doorknob was rusty and old; anyone could've broken in at any time.

"Selena?" she called out to her sister. There was no answer. "Selena, it's me! Please come out!"

She quickly ran inside and checked every corner of the house. She couldn't find Selena anywhere, not even in her room. Her wolf companion was gone, too. Ambrose fell to the floor, completely defeated. She had no idea where her sister could've had gone, or where the kidnapper could've gone. If her wolf couldn't protect her, then her source of eternal youth was gone forever.

Then she saw the glitter. A dazzling light shone through one of the steps on the stairs. She slowly approached it, not sure what she would find. Under the step was a dirty satchel, and inside it was the dreadful reminder of her sin: a fair crown that was made for the lost princess of Luna.

A thief obviously hid it there, she thought pensively, but why? Was it possible that they discovered Selena was the lost princess? She was much more valuable than her crown because of the magical qualities of her hair, which must be the reason why he left his worthless satchel in her home. That was the only answer she could fathom as to what happened to her little sister.

In the satchel, she also found a poster. "'The Thieving Brothers'?"

So these were the men who took her precious flower away. Their pictures looked quite fearsome, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Ambrose had been on this earth for many, many years. There wasn't anything she was afraid of. She didn't care how daunting these characters looked; she wasn't going to allow them to take away her precious flower.

Ambrose put the crown and the poster back in the satchel before going up to her room. She retrieved her knife from her dresser drawer before pursuing the thieves who took her sister.

* * *

><p><strong>If you guys haven't noticed (it's really obvious, actually) that Selena's fear of hoodlums is similar to Rapunzel's fear of ruffians. I changed ruffians to hoodlums because I didn't want to take everything from "Tangled". I wanted the storyline to be similar, but not completely the same.<strong>

**Oh, and this may be the last chapter I'll update before NANOWRIMO, just to tell y'all. See ya in a month!**

_**R&R!**_


	7. The Cuddly Kitten

**The Cuddly Kitten**

"I know it's around here somewhere…" Flynn had been leading the group around to look for a place to eat. He had a certain place in mind, but he couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Of course, he forgot he wasn't in Corona territory anymore, so whatever he was looking for wasn't in this area.

Then he saw a sign. "Ah, there it is. The… Cuddly Kitten."

It looked similar to the Snuggly Duckling, only the sign had a kitten hanging under it instead. His uncle Hook Hand, Big Nose, Vladimir and the rest of them usually visited the castle because it wasn't safe for a little kid to go to a bar, but he would've recognized the bar by description from the stories his parents told him. And now that he was older, he could go into a bar and not even think twice about it.

Flynn didn't pay much mind to the name of this bar. How likely was it that there was another bar of thugs and ruffians with a similar irresolute name?

"Don't worry. This place is very quaint. Perfect for little ladies like yourself. Wouldn't want you scaring and giving up on this whole endeavor, would we?"

"Well… I do love kittens." Lupe snorted. "I don't like them more than puppies, Lupe. But they are just as adorable."

"Yay!" Flynn exclaimed with feign glee.

As soon as they were at the entrance of the Cuddly Kitten, Flynn slammed the door open and said, "Garçon, your finest table, please!"

Selena gasped when she saw a bunch of vicious looking ruffians in the bar. Flynn wasn't very surprised; he should've known there would be thugs in this bar, too. The sign was just too peculiar. However, Selena wasn't acting as calm as he was. She backed away and pointed her frying pan at them all as Flynn simply guided her further into the bar.

"You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose." He inhaled to demonstrate. He almost gagged at the scent, but he kept a straight face. "Really let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, it's part man-smell, and the other part is _really_ bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?"

Selena screamed and ran when one of the hoodlums tugged at her long white hair. "Her hair's white," he said in awe.

"Is that blood on your mustache?" Flynn asked. "Snow White, look at this! Look at all the blood in his mustache!"

Selena ignored him as she backed away and pointed her frying pan at them again. She accidentally bumped into another hoodlum and pointed her pan at him. Lupe ran in front of Selena protectively and snarled at him.

"Jeez, you don't look so good, Snow White. Maybe we should get you home and call it a day. Probably better off. This is a five-star joint, after all, and if you can't handle it, then maybe you should go back to that little hovel of yours."

Their exit was suddenly blocked by an enormous thug. He held out an old bounty poster. "Are you this guy?" Flynn's eyes widened when he recognized the man in the picture. It was his father, the original Flynn Rider, except with a protruding nose that obviously didn't belong on his face. Pascal, who was on Selena's shoulder, snickered at the picture.

"Um…"

"Hey, guys! It's Flynn Rider! He's back!"

"Someone, find the guards!" a man commanded. He grabbed Flynn's shirt and pulled him up to his face. "That reward is going to get me a new leg."

"No," another crook pulled Flynn away, "that reward's mine!"

The first one pulled him back. "I saw him first!"

"We can work this out!" Flynn reasoned. Of course, these men weren't the type to listen to reason.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Selena watched in fear as her guide was tossed back and forth. She tried pushing through the crowd to retrieve him, but there were too many of them. "Give me my guide back, hoodlums!" She even tried hitting them with her frying pan, but their armor was in the way. It was a futile effort.

"Gentlemen, please…!"

The men grabbed his arms and legs so he couldn't move. The man with the peg leg got ready to slug him. Flynn moved his head away from his fist, but then another man grabbed his head so it wouldn't move.

"Put him down!" Selena exclaimed, but it was mute compared to their shouting.

On instinct, Lupe bit one of the men in the buttocks. He howled in pain, and all of the men stopped pulling on Flynn, turning their attention to the girl and her wolf. She pointed the frying pan at them in defense. "I'd like my guide back _now_…" She grimaced at the fearsome looks on the their faces. "… please!"

The man holding Flynn's head hung him up like a coat and handed the crook who was bitten his mallet. It was the man with the peg leg. He stomped over to the young woman and held his mallet up high. Lupe stood in front of her defensively. Flynn looked away; he couldn't watch this slaughter.

"Hey, Peg Leg!" Another formidable group of ruffians entered the bar. In the front was a man with a thick mustache and a hooked hand. "You pickin' on poor little girls?"

"Hook Hand!" Flynn exclaimed. "You guys!"

Hook Hand looked at the young man in confusion. "Flynn?" He almost didn't recognize the him with his hat on.

"Hook Hand?" Selena echoed. Flynn was friends with these ruffians?

"Well, well," Peg Leg jeered. "If it isn't my twin brother and his friends from the Snuggly Duckling. Don't you have a piano concert to attend?"

"Twin brother?" Flynn and Selena exchanged puzzled glances. Then Flynn saw the resemblance; Peg Leg looked exactly like Hook Hand, except he had a mission leg instead of a missing hand, and he had a goatee.

"What are you doing with these two?" Hook Hand questioned.

"Back off!" A man from the Cuddly Kitten stood in front of him. "These two wandered into our bar! They're ours!"

"Yeah, you aren't getting the reward for Flynn Rider!"

"Flynn Rider?" The men from the Snuggly Duckling began to murmur amongst themselves. Hook Hand looked back at Flynn, and the prince gave him a look that begged them to save him. The ruffian decided to ask him how he got into this predicament later.

"That hurt, Peg Leg," Hook Hand said, faking how hurt he was. "After all, we all have dreams, am I right, boys?" His group nodded affirmatively. "In fact, wasn't it your dream to become a flutist, Peg Leg?"

All the men gasped, waiting to see Peg Leg's reaction. He slowly walked away from the cowering young woman and confronted his brother. Flynn thought this would turn into a bar fight (God forbid it would) so he was prepared to run, but then Peg Leg began to tear up.

"It's true! I've always wanted to play the flute! I practice everyday!" He pulled out a white flute to prove his point.

The giant man standing next to Flynn suddenly stepped out and confessed, "I collect ceramic pegasi!"

"I sew dolls for orphans!" one said.

"I make candles!" another one cried.

One by one, each hoodlum began to make teary, heartfelt confessions of their dreams, and it slowly turned into a show tune medley. It all came down to Selena and Flynn, who were watching silently as each ruffian confessed their dreams. Of course, Flynn wasn't very surprised when Selena happily sang to everyone about how she wanted to see the lanterns and the lupines on her birthday; this girl was very naïve. At least it distracted the rest of the hoodlums so Big Nose could unhook him.

"Thanks you guys," he said.

"No problem, Flynn," Hook Hand replied. "Anything for our favorite little nephew." He put the prince into a hammerlock, but Flynn was able to stop him before he could put a hole in his head.

"How'd you find me?"

"We didn't know you'd be here," Gunter answered. "We were on our way here to claim what was rightfully ours."

"'What's rightfully yours'?" Flynn repeated.

"The Cuddly Kitten always steals our mascot from us every year," Attila explained. "And every year, we always have to come here and steal it back, but it usually ends up… bloody."

"'Bloody'?" He wondered when they got a mascot in the first place.

"Don't worry." Attila hold up a spotted, gray boar. "We got him."

Flynn looked at the pig in perplexity. "Shouldn't you guys have a duck as your mascot instead of a boar?"

The ruffians laughed. "The boar's family. We can't just get a duck!"

"So…" Hook Hand put his arm around his shoulder. "What are you doing outside of Corona?"

"—as Flynn Rider?" Gunter queried.

"—in the Cuddly Kitten?" Vladimir asked.

"—with that girl?" Attila finished.

"Is she a part of your dream?" Big Nose inquired.

Flynn shrugged Hook Hand's arm away. "I-I don't know what you're talking about! It was… I was just…!" He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. "We need to leave before more trouble comes."

Suddenly, the hoodlum who ran out to get some guards came back. "I found the guards!" he announced. Three soldiers from Luna entered the bar, who Flynn sadly recognized. Between them, Flynn also recognized the two men he ran into in the forest. They apparently weren't happy to be arrested.

The man in front, the captain Flynn recognized, came out and said, "We're looking for Flynn Rider. He's assisted in the larceny of the lost princess's crown, and apparently he's in this bar. He looks like this." The guard held up another old copy of Flynn Rider's bounty. Flynn frowned; this Flynn's nose was more plump than the other one. Now they were just being mean. "Where is he?"

Flynn grabbed Selena and they hid behind the counter. "What do we do now?" she asked.

He looked around. "There has to be some kind of secret exit." Since the Cuddly Kitten was so similar to the Snuggly Duckling, he figured there would be some kind of hidden passage behind the counter.

"Hey!" The two glanced over the counter and saw Peg Leg pointing an accusing finger at Attila. "They stole our boar!" The men of the Cuddly Kitten suddenly turned their attention to the group from the Snuggly Duckling. "Were not going to let them get away with that, are we, boys?"

"No way!"

"Let's get 'em!"

The whole bar suddenly broke out into a brawl. The soldiers and the crooks were suddenly wrapped up in the brouhaha, giving the Selena and Flynn the chance to escape. Unfortunately, they still didn't have any place to go.

"_Psst!_" Flynn and Selena turned and saw Peg Leg gesturing them. He suddenly pulled a familiar lever, revealing a secret tunnel leading outside the bar. Hook Hand led them over to it alongside his brother.

"Go," Peg Leg said to the young woman. "Live your dream."

"I will. Thank you." Selena kissed him on the check before going down the path.

"And Flynn," Hook Hand caught the prince before he could leave, "don't forget _your_ dream."

Flynn cleared his throat uncomfortably before shaking his uncle's hand. He didn't know how else to respond to that. "Okay. Thanks, Uncle Hook Hand." He pulled his hand down a bit before following Selena.

* * *

><p>Maximus shouldn't have been surprised when the trail led him to a bar—the Cuddly Kitten, no less. The palace horse couldn't help rolling his eyes. These thugs were getting softer everyday. From where he was standing, it was total chaos in there.<p>

"I don't think Flynn would be in there, Max," Jerrod said. "It's too dangerous; I doubt he'd take the risk."

Maximus ignored him and continued towards the bar.

Jerrod got off the saddle and followed the stallion slowly. From the sight of the bar, it looked perilous. He could see there was already a fight going on by the sounds of painful grunts and vulgar profanity. He was glad to have the sturdy, valiant horse with him—even though he was forced to go on this journey with him in the first place.

Jerrod stared at the stallion as he slammed the bar door open with one of his hooves. Maximus was acting like such a man, it didn't scare him as much as it freaked him out. Everyone else in the bar also froze when they saw the broad white stallion, which didn't seem to faze the horse at all.

"What's that horse doing here?" he heard someone say. He saw that it was a guard, but not just any guard. This soldier was from Luna, he could tell. His armor had moon emblem indented on it instead of the sun that Corona's men had.

_Flynn made it all the way into Luna territory?_ Jerrod mused. _You're so dead, buddy._

"Quiet!" another guard said. He looked like the captain. "Don't you know who that horse is? That's Maximus from Corona."

Jerrod was starting to get tired of these surprises. Apparently, Maximus's intimidating nature was renowned beyond the kingdom.

The young man rolled his eyes._ What's next? Are the ruffians going to break into song?_

Maximus didn't twitch as he made his way through the bar. He didn't want to waste his time investigating all the hubbub. He sniffed around, astoundingly able to find Flynn's scent among the musty, sweaty, really bad man-stench. He stopped in front of the counter.

"What's he doing?"

The leader covered the guard's mouth. They continued to observe Maximus as he climbed over the counter. He pointed to a lever with a kitten on it. Jerrod went to see what he was on about.

"What is it?" he asked. "You want me to pull it?" Maximus shook his head. "Push it?" He neighed, indicating that his answer was correct. Jerrod gave the horse a perplexed look before pushing the lever. The secret passage the stallion sniffed out suddenly appeared. The young man gaped at it in awe. "Amazing…"

Maximus gave him a smug look. No other horse would've been able to sniff that secret passage out. Maximus was truly an incredible palace horse.

Maximus whinnied again, telling Jerrod to get back on his saddle. The young man did so as the white stallion sped off, following his best friend's trail.

"Let's follow them!" the commander in charge said. "Lenard, keep an eye on those two. Make sure they don't escape."

The soldier saluted his commanding officer and watched as he and his other associate followed the white stallion. Lenard pointed his sword at Marty and Robby, watching them alertly. However, he was soon put into submission when Robby head-butted him into a coma.

"Let's go get our crown back," Marty said as Robby broke his shackles with the sword. The brothers quickly ran after the soldiers before anything else could get in their way.

Meanwhile, outside the Cuddly Kitten, a drunk ruffian stumbled out of the bar, singing in a slur. It wasn't until he saw a young woman in front of him when he stopped his terrible singing. At first, he thought the woman was a part of his inebriated hallucination, but when a bit of his vertigo disappeared, he saw that the woman was palpable.

"_Whoa_… Someone better call Heaven, because I think it's missing an angel."

"Oh, stop it, ya big lug," she laughed. He began laughing with her until a knife was pointed at his nose. "Where does that little tunnel lead to?"

The drunkard gulped. "Knife…!"

* * *

><p><strong>This was a really fun chapter to write. I thought about having Flynn take Selena to the Snuggly Duckling, but that was all the way in Corona. So instead, writing a Snuggly Duckling counterpart seemed a lot funnier, but I couldn't write it without adding Hook Hand and his gang into the mix!<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	8. Near Death Confessions

**Near Death Confessions**

Selena was ecstatic. She faced all those hoodlums on her own and she didn't even faint. Who knew hoodlums were such softies? She misunderstood them; at first, she thought they were all bloodthirsty crooks, but now she knew not everyone was who they appeared to be.

"That was… something, wasn't it?" Flynn said, breaking the silence. "You were really something back there. I didn't know you had it in ya. It was really… impressive."

"I know!" she exclaimed. She jumped when she realized how loud she was. "I mean, I know," she repeated nonchalantly.

Flynn rolled his eyes. Selena wasn't fooling anyone.

_Speaking of people who aren't who they appear to be…_

As the two continued to go down the trail, Selena stared at Flynn. She didn't forget what he did up there in the Cuddly Kitten. He knew those ruffians—he was _friends_ with them. It didn't seem right since everybody else was after his bounty. It made her question who Flynn Rider really was. Was he the infamous thief he wanted her to believe, or was he just some random stranger who bared a very identical resemblance? Was it just a coincidence when he entered her home at such a convenient time?

"So, Flynn," she began, "where're you from?"

"Oh, no," he said. "Sorry, Snow White, but I do not give back-stories. However, I am becoming very interested in yours. Now, I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair."

"Nope."

"Or the sister."

"Uh-uh."

"Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the dog."

"Wolf."

"Same difference. So I'll ask you this: if you wanted to see the flowers and the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"

Selena stopped walking. Flynn looked at her curiously. How was she supposed to answer that? "My sister kept me locked up every year on my birthday"? It wasn't an appropriate answer, but what else could she tell him? She wasn't the best liar.

Selena chuckled nervously and glanced at Lupe for help. The wolf shook her head, telling her not to say a thing. But before she had the chance to answer, the ground suddenly began to quake. The tunnel rumbled and the clatter of running feet grew.

"Um, Flynn…"

Behind them, Luna's guards were approaching them. "_Rider!_"

"Run," he said. "Run!" He pushed Selena in front of him and quickly followed behind.

As soon as they were out of the tunnel, the gang stopped at an edge. Below them was an empty ravine that was gradually being filled with water. Next to them was a dam threatening to burst.

Flynn face-palmed. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Suddenly, across from them, the two robbers broke through one of the blocked out passages. "Who's that?" Selena asked.

"They don't like me."

The guards were finally caught up to them. "Who are they?"

"They don't like me, either."

All of a sudden, a white stallion jumped in front of the guards. "Who's that?"

"Okay, let's just say for the moment that everyone here doesn't like me!" Flynn searched around for some kind of escape. "Does your hair happen to be long enough to use as a rope?"

"Nope, but this may be useful." The young woman held up a rope she conveniently found on the ground. "Here." She shoved her frying pan in Flynn's hands. "Lupe, help Flynn." Then she addressed the chameleon on her shoulder. "Let's do this." The young woman grappled the rope on a broken piece of wood that was still nailed to the unstable structure. She jumped off the precipice, leaving Flynn and Lupe to fend against the guards.

Flynn stared the frying pan quizzically. "I don't suppose you know how to use this, do you?" he asked the wolf. Lupe rolled her eyes knowing full well that was a ridiculous question. "Right."

A sword was suddenly swung at his head, but he dodged it in time. Flynn hit the guard with a frying pan. Another guard lunged at him, and he blocked the sword with the pan. Behind him, another guard prepared to strike, but then Lupe bit his leg. He yelped in pain and the wolf butted him over the edge. She bit another guard and Flynn also knocked him into the half-empty gulley.

"_Whoa mama!_ I have gotta get me one of these!" Then he turned to Lupe. "We make a pretty good team, huh?" She barked in agreement.

When another sword was brandished at him, Flynn confidently pointed the pan at his new opponent. However, he paused when he saw who was holding the sword. "Maximus?"

Jerrod abruptly ran out of the tunnel. "Flynn?"

"Jerry?"

Flynn wasn't paying attention when the horse knocked the frying pan out of his hand. Everyone stared over the edge and watched the pan until it splashed into the shallow pool. "How about two out of three?" Maximus put the sword near his neck. Lupe growled at the horse.

"Max, what are you doing?" Jerrod hollered.

"Yes, Max. If you've come to take me home, I think my parents would prefer me _alive!_"

"Flynn!" Selena suddenly called out. She had one end of the rope tied around her waist. "Grab Lupe!" She threw the other end of the rope, which latched around his wrist, and pulled. The wolf jumped into Flynn's arms as he saluted Maximus and Jerrod. They watched in astonishment as the wolf and the young man were both pulled off the precipice and into the canyon.

"You must know that this is the strangest thing I've ever done!" he said to the wolf.

"Flynn, look out!" the young woman shouted. The two robbers on the other side prepared to chop him to piece as he was swung over. She pulled the rope so Flynn and Lupe were unreachable.

"Ha!" Flynn laughed. "You should see your faces because you both look—!" He gasped when his body was slammed into a protruding piece of wood. "…ridiculous." Lupe whined as she was crushed between the wall and Flynn's body. Selena winced; that looked extremely painful.

From across the valley, Selena saw that the horse was trying to kick down of the wooden planks propping the rickety dam. She also saw some of the unconscious guards recovering from their blows. The plank soon fell, making a bridge that the horse began to cross.

"Jump, Snow White!" Selena turned to find Flynn and Lupe in a floating piece of debris. It edges made for a boat big enough for all three of them (four, if they included Pascal's teeny size). He was still holding the rope firmly. "_Jump!_" he repeated.

Selena didn't hesitate. She jumped just in time before the horse could grab hold of her. As she swung down, she grabbed her floating frying pan from the water. The boat creaked when she landed. She hesitantly looked back at the dam, which would explode at any moment. "I hope this thing holds up."

"Yeah," Flynn said. He also glanced at the dam with dread. "Me too."

As the dam fell apart, the men, the guards, and Jerrod watched fearfully as water came crashing. Maximus was the only one who stood his ground even as the water blew him away.

"Hang on!" Flynn shielded Selena, Lupe, and Pascal, preparing for the harsh wave to come. Selena held him anxiously. As soon as the water came, their little "boat" went flying.

Even after the wave, Selena managed to stay on the debris raft. She pulled Lupe on, who had Pascal by the tail. Only one person was missing. "Where's Flynn?" She frantically looked around. She couldn't see the thief anywhere in the water. "Flynn! Flynn, can you hear me?"

"Snow White!" Further ahead, the white-haired girl saw the young man trying to swim up to them. "Selena!"

"Hold on, Flynn!"

"To _what!_"

Selena gasped. The rope was still tied around her waist. "Flynn, catch!" She threw the rope to him, which latched around his hand. She tried pulling him, but the rapids were too strong. "I can't pull you! You're too heavy!" On the contrary, as she pulled the rope, the boat floated closer and faster to Flynn. "Don't worry! We're catching up to you!" When she glanced over Flynn, her face blanched. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

Selena was too terrified to speak. She could see an end to the boundless rapids—that was a huge problem. From all the books she ever read in that little hovel, she learned that the world had no edge because of its spherical shape. So if there was no end, where would they end up?

"Selena, what are you—?" Flynn disappeared over the edge.

"_Flynn!_" Suddenly, the rope that was attached to Flynn began to pull Selena. She hung onto the boat with all the strength she had left, which pulled them all faster with the current. "Lupe, grab hold of me!" The wolf cautiously stalked across the brittle debris to her master with Pascal still dangling from her maw. Selena put one arm around Lupe before she let go of the boat.

The three drifted through the water until they also fell down the deluge. However, the fall was short. Selena found herself overhanging from the deluge, struggling to keep the heavy wolf in her arms.

"You okay, Snow White?" Next to the young woman was the thief, who she assumed was dead. He was hanging onto the rope for dear life. His hat was long gone, revealing his glistening blonde hair. His tight grip on the rope was turning his hands red.

"Flynn!" she exclaimed. "How are you not dead?"

"The rope," he quickly pointed up. "It's hanging on a rock over the waterfall."

Selena didn't bother to look up. "How do we get down?"

"I don't know."

"You do have a plan, right?"

"I don't know."

"How are we going to make it out of this?"

"… I don't know."

Selena became scared. Flynn usually had the answer to everything. He knew about the bar, the escape route, he even protected her from the terrible wave. Now that they were suspended fifty feet in the air above jagged rocks that could kill them, she was trembling with fear.

She choked on a sob. "I'm so sorry, Flynn. I'm sorry, Lupe. I'm sorry, Pascal. This is all my fault." She couldn't hold it in anymore. Selena bawled her eyes out, and the tears fell pitifully in the pool below. "Ambrose was right; I should've never left…"

Flynn heart nearly tore in half. Selena was so stubborn to live her dream, and now she was going to die. She depended on him to protect her, and he completely failed. He lied to her, on many accounts. Well, now that they were dangling above their demise, he might as well confess the truth.

"Fitzherbert."

Selena sniffed and stared at him questionably. "What?"

He sighed before he elaborated. "My real name is Flynnigan Fitzherbert, not Rider. I was going to tell you before, but... I thought I might as well tell you now before… you know…"

Selena chuckled as she sniffed again. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

Flynn did a double take. "What?"

They both froze when they heard a _snap!_ A second later, the rope around Selena's waist broke. "_Flynn!_"

"Hold on, Selena!" Flynn, who also fell, dived after her. His mind was telling him he was completely crazy for doing something so… _crazy!_ But his heart told him not to let her go. He had to save her. Once he was close enough, he took Selena in her arms with the rope still in his hand.

A tree he saw from their depth caught his eye. He swung the remainder of the rope at a branch and swung them all onto land. Flynn quickly let go of the rope and held onto Selena as they fell on the ground. Their animal companions fell next to them.

The young man groaned when his back hit the surface, but he never felt so relieved. They were on land again, which meant they were alive. And now he found himself blushing red, staring into a pair of lovely lavender eyes. That was when he realized Selena was on top of him.

The young woman stared at him, still a bit flabbergasted by the events that happened a few seconds ago. She almost _died_, and now she was here, on top of Flynn.

_Wait… we're alive?_

"We made it," she said. "We're alive!" She got off the ground and ran to Lupe. "Lupe, we're still alive!"

Flynn was filled with utter shock, even as he sat up from the ground slowly. Pascal stared at him curiously. The chameleon cautiously wandered next to the young man and poked his face with his tail. "Her hair glows," he finally said. Then he turned to Pascal. "Her hair glows, Pascal."

"Flynn?"

"Her white hair glows. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised—"

"Flynn."

"—but how is that possible?"

"_Flynn!_"

"What!"

"It doesn't just glow," Selena said. She was wringing her lustrous, long, white hair over the river. "You haven't even seen anything yet."

Lupe, who was sitting beside the confused young man, smirked at him.

Flynn's expression didn't change. "Why's she smiling at me?"

* * *

><p>Later that night, the two decided it was better to rest and wait until morning instead of continuing their journey to Luna. Now they were sitting around a campfire munching on the freshly cleaned apples in Flynn's drenched satchel. The night was awkwardly quiet, and as Flynn subconsciously chewed on the core of his apple, he couldn't stop staring at Selena's white hair.<p>

What she told him over the deluge was just… what was the word he was looking for? Incredible? Unbelievable? He couldn't say that. It was just as unbelievable as _his_ magic hair. Maybe that was the reason why her hair was so white. But was she telling the truth, or was she just pulling his leg and jabbering nonsense in a life/death situation?

Selena, who finally noticed the young man staring at her hair, glanced at his hands. His left one was especially red from the rope burn. "Flynn, give me your hand."

"What?" He quickly glanced at the young woman nervously. "Did you say something, Snow White?"

She ignored him as she took a seat next to him and grabbed his hand. There was dry blood on the scratch. She touched it lightly and Flynn slightly flinched. She then began wrapping her hair around it.

"So"—Flynn cleared his throat—"you're being awfully cryptic as you wrap your white hair around my injured hand." He didn't even realize his hand was still itching with pain. He would've healed it on his own, but he didn't feel like telling her his other secret right now. He was still dealing with hers. He groaned when strands of her hair rubbed against the wound.

"Sorry," Selena apologized sheepishly. She sighed when she was done. "Just… try not to freak out, okay?" She took another deep breath and closed her eyes.

He stared at her curiously. Was she really going to heal his hand?

His question was answered when Selena suddenly began to sing:

_Let your powers reveal,_

_In order to heal,_

_Go back in time,_

_And bring back what once was mine,_

Flynn's eyes widened as a glow in Selena's hair grew from her roots and began to spread, turning her hair the purest white color he had ever seen.

He glanced at Lupe and Pascal, who weren't very shocked by the sight. Lupe gestured her head towards his hand. He looked down and saw that the glow finally reached the hair encasing his hand.

_Flower shining bright,_

_Revive what has been grayed,_

_Recover and be found,_

It was incredible. The song—the most beautiful melody he heard anyone sing—was exactly like the song he had to sing in order to heal others. But the song wasn't what was enticing him. It was Selena's graceful voice. It was absolutely lovely, melodic, pure. It reminded him of his mother's voice when she sang to him when he was younger.

Flynn became so engrossed with the song, he sang the last lines with her.

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine._

Selena opened her eyes and stared at him, a bit shocked when she heard him join her in song. He knew the song, she could tell, but how? It was just another mystery about Flynn Rider—or Flynn Fitzherbert—that made her stupefied.

Once the song was over, her hair stopped glowing. Flynn unwrapped her hair and stared at his hand. The scratch was gone.

"Um… how long have you had these powers?" he asked casually. That wasn't really the reaction she expected, but at least he didn't freak out.

"I don't know. Forever, I guess. My sister told me that ever since I was born, people have tried to steal me away and hoard my powers for their own selfish reasons."

"Steal you? Couldn't they just… cut your hair?"

She shrugged. "They could, but it would be pointless. You see, my mother had difficulty giving birth to me, so she died. I was saved because of my magical abilities. And since I was born with these abilities, they stay with me forever. So if you try to cut my hair, it'll stay white and powerful for as long as I live." She began running her hands through her hair as she explained. "A gift like that has to be protected. That's why Ambrose never let me…" She stopped herself. "I mean, that's why I never…"

"Why you never left that little hovel," Flynn finished for her. "And you're still going to go back?"

"No!" she answered firmly. "I mean… yes? I don't know. It's complicated." She covered her face with her hands. Lupe put her head in her lap consolingly. Pascal, who was on Flynn's shoulder, croaked sadly.

That was a hard question to answer. She wasn't very happy in that little hovel, being locked up every year on her birthday. This trip had been exhilarating, fun—if she were to return home, she'd be miserable again. But if she didn't go back, then Ambrose would be alone, and she was the only family she had left. Then again, she had Flynn…

Selena quickly regained self-control before she started crying again. She sighed and looked at Flynn. He still had some things to explain to her, starting with his real identity.

"So, Flynnigan Fitzherbert, huh?"

"Actually, Flynnigan Frederick Fitzherbert is my full name, but Flynn is just fine." Selena gave him a look that told him to get to the point. He couldn't hide this any longer. Pascal patted his cheek in encouragement. Flynn looked at him gratefully. He was glad to have a supportive friend with him. "Flynn Rider was actually… my dad."

"Your father's a thief?"

"_Was_. I'll spare you the sob story of my dad's melancholic orphaned past; it's a little bit of a downer." He cleared his throat before he told her the story his father told him on many accounts as a child. Selena scooted closer to him and propped her elbows on her knees as she listened closely. "He took the name from his favorite childhood character in a book used to read all the other orphans, _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_—swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he'd ever brag about, of course."

"Was he a thief, too?" Selena asked.

"Uh… well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do what he wanted do. He could go anywhere he wanted to go. My dad… being the little orphan who had nothing, thought it was the better option. It wasn't until he met my mother when everything changed."

"Was it love at first sight?"

Flynn chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it was. The thief and the girl with extremely long blonde, magical hair."

Selena gave him a quizzical look. "Your mother had magical hair, too?"

"Yep. It turns out that my mother was a princess, and someone stole her when she was just a baby so they could use her power to stay young forever. My father cut it all off to save her life. Now it's short, brown, and powerless. They lived 'happily ever after', just like in those lovey-dovey fairy tales you read about. Then I came along, and my sister and brother after me. Now we rule the wonderful kingdom of Corona as one big happily family."

"So… you're a prince with magic healing abilities?" Flynn nodded hesitantly. "Why'd you leave if you were so happy?"

"Well I wasn't _that_ happy." He ran a hand through his blonde hair. "The power my mother used to possess was passed along to me, so when I was born, I had blonde hair. They tried cutting it off, but," he plucked off one of his hairs, but it didn't change color, "as you can see, it stays blonde. My mother was afraid that someone would kidnap me and take me away to exploit my gift. So, in order to protect me, she kept me in the confines of the kingdom. She took me to the town a few times when I was little, but as I grew older, she stopped letting me go. Then she began picking out suitors for me! Do you know how angry I was then? Do you know how insane that is? Choosing the love of my life for me? I was just..." Flynn took a deep breath before he could blow a fuse.

"I couldn't take it anymore, so… I ran away. I wasn't planning on returning until tomorrow, which also happens to be my 18th birthday, but then I ran into those guards from Luna. Your house was the closest place for shelter, so I hid there, then you hit me with that blasted frying pan. You assumed I was Flynn Rider, so I decided to just stick with it. I guess that wasn't the smartest thing to do because now I'm being accused of larceny, but, hey! At least I got to meet you."

Selena blushed at the sweet comment. "So, I guess we're both the guilty ones."

"Yeah, I guess so." There was a moment of silence before Flynn continued, "This sounds like a bunch of nonsense, doesn't it?"

"After everything we've been through today, it's not very hard to believe. I thought you seemed too nice to be a thief."

Flynn chuckled. "You can't tell anybody about this, alright? No one can know that I'm the prince of Corona. If they did… well, let's just say that horse would drag me back there faster than those guards could get a hold of me."

"Ah, we wouldn't want that."

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has when he's on the run."

Selena shook her head and laughed. "I think it's a nice coincidence that our birthdays are on the same day, though. Now we can celebrate it together." Flynn smiled. That did sound nice.

The two continued to stare into each eyes. A warm feeling began to swell up in Flynn as he stared into Selena's lavender orbs. They were filled with such brilliance compared to the fear that filled them this evening when they were hanging from a rope. Selena's thoughts requited. Flynn's eyes were very handsome, as well as Flynn himself. And, prince or thief, Flynn was such a wonderful person to be around.

As the two leaned in, Flynn suddenly became uncomfortable. "Well, _that's_ enough excitement for one night!" he said. He stood from his spot and stretched his arms. "How about we hit the hay? We've got to be well rested if we want to hit that festival early."

Selena stood as well and yawned. "Okay. I'm a bit tired, anyway."

The teens prepared their resting places. Lupe went over to Selena and laid by her side. Pascal crawled onto the little makeshift pillow Flynn made. The prince put out the fire before he laid down next to the chameleon.

Before they went to sleep, Selena rolled over to face Flynn. "By the way," she said, "I like Flynn Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider."

Flynn blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. Goodnight, Selena."

"Goodnight, Flynn."

As the night went on, Flynn found it very hard to sleep. Now that everything was out in the open, he couldn't help feeling guilty about running away from home. He almost died; he got lucky today. The kingdom would've been in shambles if they found out their prince was dead. His family would've been devastated. His father would probably have been angry. Rosemarie would most likely have been indifferent about it, but nonetheless sad. Teddy would've probably bawled his eyes out, along with his grandmother. His mother would've had the worst reaction; he couldn't even imagine what she would've done if he died.

He wondered if any of them even knew he was gone.

After hours of guilty thoughts, Flynn was finally able to fall asleep, dreaming of nothing but white tresses…

* * *

><p>Rapunzel sighed as she made her way to Flynn's room. He hadn't come out of his room since their fight. She felt terrible about it, but she also felt really hurt that he had been ignoring her this long. So the queen decided to take this opportunity to sort things out with her son.<p>

As she continued to walk to his room, Rapunzel began preparing her apology. She struggled to come up with anything he'd listen to. Rosemarie and Teddy were so much easier to deal with.

But everything was different with Flynn. Flynn was special—not that her other two children weren't special; all of her children were precious to her. Flynn was born with something that endangered his life, he had to understand. Surprisingly, Eugene could get through to him easier than she could with the other two. She wished he was here with her now, but she knew she couldn't disturb him while he was working.

When she was in front of his door, Rapunzel took a deep breath. "Okay, you can do this," she coaxed herself. She knocked on the door gently. "Flynn?" There was no reply. She knocked a little louder. "Flynn!" Still no reply. "Flynn, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. May I come in so we can talk?" Flynn still said nothing. "Flynn?"

She opened the door slightly to look inside. Rapunzel saw no trace of Flynn. "Oh no." She opened the door wider and saw that the room was completely vacant. "Flynn!"

"Blondie!" Rapunzel turned to see her husband running towards her. "The royal guards told me Maximus is missing."

"Flynn's gone, too!"

"What?" Rapunzel gestured towards Flynn's room. Eugene gasped when he saw that it was also empty. "Maximus must've helped him escape. I knew that horse was evil ever since that time—"

"Flynn, Maximus would never help Flynn escape. He's too noble."

"Then he must've gone after him."

"So Flynn really did run away." Rapunzel sat on the bed slowly. "This is all my fault. I did it. I finally drove him away."

"No!" Eugene said firmly. "This is not your fault!"

"Yes it is! You know it is, Eugene! If I hadn't pushed him to find a suitor so soon, if I didn't keep him trapped in here… Flynn could be in danger and it's all my fault!" Rapunzel began to cry. "I'm such a terrible mother."

"Rapunzel…" His words were heard on deaf ears as Rapunzel continue to mourn her son's absence.

Eugene sat next to his wife and held her, comforting her while she lamented. Who knew what kind of trouble their son was getting into now? Hopefully, no one would discover his gift, otherwise, who knew what would happen?

* * *

><p><strong>I didn't plan to have this chapter so long, but I feel very accomplished! I think the next chapter may be even longer! You just wait!<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	9. The Kingdom of Luna

**The Kingdom of Luna**

Flynn couldn't remember the last time he rested so peacefully. Maybe it was from tremendous exhaustion or the softness of the grassy earth beneath him. Either way, the prince didn't have a problem waking up in the morning. He was woken up by a cool sensation dripping on his forehead. When he opened his eyes, he found the white stallion that was chasing him snarling over him, his snout dripping wet.

Flynn thought it was a dream at first, but Maximus was only in his nightmares. So as he stared up at the mad horse, the prince simply said, "Well I hope you're here to apologize."

He should've known better than to say that to Maximus.

Flynn's shouting immediately woke up Selena and the others. When she saw him being pulled away by the horse, she ran to his aid. Selena was successfully able to pull him away with the loss of his boot, but the horse still went at him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy boy!"

From behind, Jerrod pulled at his reigns. "Calm down, Max! We're here to retrieve Flynn, not kill him!"

Flynn backed up to a tree as Maximus continued to go at him, but Selena was getting in the way. Lupe barked at the horse, and he tried to defend himself by stomping over her. "Hey!" Selena cried. "Stop that!"

Jerrod couldn't surpass the strength of the magnificent stallion, so when he saw Selena, he nearly dropped the reigns. "Hey, get out of the way!"

However, the girl didn't listen. "Easy boy. Easy…" This time, she spoke soothing words to him.

Jerrod couldn't watch. He closed his eyes as he continued to struggle with his reigns.

Suddenly, the horse's fierce neighing and struggling stopped. When Jerrod opened his eyes, he saw Maximus was completely calm. His was staring into the eyes of the white-haired maiden like he was hypnotized. He wondered how this girl was able to tame this beast so easily.

"That's it," she said. Pascal, who was now on her head, also motioned for him to calm himself.

As she calmed down Maximus, Jerrod went over to Flynn, who was still cowering against the tree. "You okay, buddy?" he asked.

"Does it look like I'm okay? Maximus just tried to kill me!"

"Don't worry about Max. That girl calmed him down."

"What?" The boys looked over at Maximus, who was staring at the girl. The horse was completely enticed. "No way."

Maximus was in love. The warmness in her eyes was similar to a certain green-eyed queen's when they first met. It was like déjà vu.

"Now sit," she commanded. Maximus neighed against it. How dare she tell him what to do? "Sit!" she said in a firmer tone. He did so reluctantly.

"What?" Flynn said in disbelief. Jerrod's mouth went agape like a fish. Whoever this girl was, she was a miracle worker.

"Now drop the boot." The horse grunted. "Drop it." After a beat, Maximus did what he was told. "Good boy!"

Selena suddenly began to shower him in cute compliments and praises. She even scratched under his chin. Max wouldn't admit it (not like he could) but he loved it when anyone scratched on his chin. It was another one of his foibles.

"You're such a good boy!" Selena cooed him on. "Yes, you are!" Maximus's tail wagged happily. "You all tired from chasing this bad boy all over the place?" Maximus nodded sadly.

Flynn was appalled. "Excuse me?"

"Nobody appreciates you, do they? Do they?" Maximus snorted in reply. It was like this girl could read his mind.

"Oh, come on!" Flynn and Jerrod shouted at the same time. "He's a _bad horse!_"

Max glared at them. Selena hugged him to calm him down. "Oh, he's nothing but a big sweet heart. Isn't that right…" Selena looked at his badge attached to his saddle. "Maximus?" He neighed happily when she said his name.

"Maybe to women," Jerrod said.

"He's been after our hides for as long as I can remember!" Flynn said. "Did you forget that he just tried to kill me a second ago!"

"He hung me over a cliff just so I could come with him!"

"Well, maybe if you two weren't so bad," Selena offered.

"You've got to be kidding me!" the boys cried.

Maximus glared at the two boys. They glared back.

Selena looked at Pascal and Lupe for help. Lupe tipped her head to the side, and Pascal did something similar to a shrug. She knew these three wouldn't get along as long as they were together. Maybe if she could convince them to cooperate for today, everything could work out. After all, today was a special day.

"Look," she said. "Today is kind of the biggest day of my life. Actually, our lives." She grabbed Flynn's arm and hugged it. "And the thing is," she pulled Flynn up from the tree. "I need you not to take him back to Corona—" Maximus immediately shook his head to that. "—just for 24 hours, and then you and…"

"Jerrod."

"You and Jerrod can chase Flynn back to Corona to your hearts' content, okay?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Flynn interjected. "Have you forgotten it's _my _birthday, too? I was planning on returning home yesterday, but then you," he pointed at Selena, "and you," he waved his finger towards Maximus, "and somehow you," he pointed to his best friend, "totally wasted my day of freedom with all the chasing and merrymaking and floods! So I want compensation."

"Well, what exactly do you want?"

"A break. I think I deserve it after all I'd been through yesterday. It is my birthday, after all."

"Me too," Jerrod added. "If hanging me over my death wasn't enough, then I think I deserve to relax after being caught in that flood." Flynn and Selena didn't realize he was still slightly wet.

"Fine. Flynn promised he'd escort me into Luna anyway—"

Jerrod shot a questioning glance at Flynn. "Don't ask," the prince said.

"—and I guess two more escorts could be more fun. But you all have to promise to be nice."

Jerrod sighed. "As long as we're not chasing anybody, or hanging around any cliffs."

Selena turned to Flynn and Maximus. "Deal?"

They glared at each other for a moment. Flynn sighed and took out his hand for Maximus to shake. He turned away. He had a job to do. He couldn't folly about with a bunch of teenagers because it was Flynn's birthday.

"And it's also _my_ birthday, just so you know," Selena quickly added.

Maximus looked at her for a brief moment. Her eyes were pleading him to give in and allow Flynn stay with her for just a bit longer. He couldn't ignore that innocent face—and it was her birthday. He gave in and gave Flynn his hoof to shake.

Selena smiled happily at this arrangement. When a bell suddenly rang, and Selena stepped forward and broke their truce. It was coming from Luna. They were so close. "Come on, you guys!" Selena began to run to the beautiful sound of the bells, not bothering to wait for anyone to follow. Lupe, with Pascal on her head, ran after her, barking gleefully.

When they were out of sight, Maximus quickly punched Flynn in the gut. The prince fell over in pain. Jerrod couldn't help but laugh. Flynn glared up at him. "Some friend you are." Jerrod gave him an apologetic look.

It wasn't long until they reached a bridge. On the other side was the Kingdom of Luna. Selena was just about to run off onto the bridge when Flynn grabbed her arm. "Whoa, there! We can't just run off into town all willy-nilly. There are plenty of guards in that town and no doubt many wanted posters of Flynn Rider."

"What do you suggest we do? Disguise ourselves?"

Flynn thought for a moment. He glanced at the bridge and noticed a few people coming out of the village. "I'll be right back." He ran into the forest for a brief second. A few minutes later, he had three cloaks. "Problem solved!"

Selena and Jerrod eyed the cloaks suspiciously. "Where'd you get those?" she asked.

"You don't want to know." Flynn tossed the two other cloaks to them. "Let's go!" He began to march off.

When Selena and Jerrod had their cloaks and hoods on, the group continued on until they were at the bridge. Selena marveled the bridge as if it was the first time she saw a bridge—which it was. As they walked, Flynn also began to analyze the bridge. Since he'd never visited Luna before, he didn't know what to expect. So far, Luna didn't seem much different than Corona, except maybe their traditions. The bridge was one of the things that weren't different.

Then he noticed the wanted poster. This time, his dad's nose was bumpy, as if he was punched in the face. He quickly snatched off the wall of the bridge and squashed it into a ball. Maximus gave him a disapproving glare. "What? You know that's not really me." Maximus rolled his eyes. Instead of throwing away the wrinkly paper, Flynn stuffed it in Maximus's mouth. He spit it out and he nickered when it landed on Flynn's face. Then the young man shoved the stallion, and he too returned the blow. It wasn't long until Maximus had Flynn's leg caught in his mouth and Flynn fists were ready to hit him.

"Hey!" Jerrod hissed. Pascal was now on his shoulder. They both glared at them and pointed ahead. Selena and Lupe were far ahead of them, and they were oblivious to their brawl. "Come on, you guys. I really don't want to get into this. I want to just relax. Flynn, you said the same thing. So let's all just cooperate for Selena, okay?"

Flynn and Maximus exchanged looks. Pascal glared at them. They gave in. When Jerrod turned away, they gave each other one last shove before following the rest of their group.

Once inside the village, Selena gasped at how many wonderful things she'd never seen in her life. Being inside the kingdom itself was a spectacle, and there was so many things that she'd never done. She didn't know what she should do first.

"Okay, guys, what should we do first?" Flynn asked.

"Maybe we should split up," Jerrod suggested.

"What?" Selena said. "No, we can't split up. I thought we were going to browse the kingdom together?" This wasn't her plan at all. Sure, she didn't plan on having Jerrod and Maximus with them in the first place, but now that they were with them, she liked the idea of having more friends. Now they were going to separate?

"It's okay, Selena. I don't mind. And wouldn't it be better if the birthday people stayed together? Or we can split into threes just to make it even. Max, your little chameleon friend, and I can go somewhere else. What do you think, Flynn?" Jerrod winked at his friend. Flynn looked away and rubbed his neck.

"Um, yeah, that sounds good. But are you sure you don't mind having Pascal with you, Jerrod?"

"Are you kidding me? I love chameleons! And I think the little guys warmed up to me." Jerrod scratched Pascal's head, and he purred with pleasure. "So do we agree?"

Flynn comfortably put an arm around Selena. "How about it, Snow White? You and me." The wolf glared at him. "And Lupe."

After a moment of thinking, Selena nodded. "Okay. But we should meet up later."

"How about when they send off the lupines?" Jerrod said.

"Then it's settled," Flynn said. "We'll see you two, later."

However, Maximus didn't agree with their plan too much. He wanted to keep his eyes on both boys so neither of them could run off. But once again, Selena was able to find her way into his heart and get him to warm up to the idea.

"It won't be long, Maximus. We'll meet up by the docks later tonight. Okay?" Once she scratched behind his ears, he fell into her spell and complied. "Thank you, Max!" She hugged his neck before running off with Flynn.

By the time he realized they left, Maximus glanced over at Jerrod and Pascal. The young man smiled nervously at him. "Well, I guess it's just you and me, again. At least we're not alone this time." He laughed nervously. The stallion sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Meanwhile, Flynn, Selena, and Lupe began to look around town. "So, what should we do first?" Flynn asked.

"Mmm… I don't know." Suddenly, Selena's stomach growled. She blushed profusely. "How about we get breakfast first?"

Flynn nodded. "We didn't have breakfast, did we?" He looked around until he spotted a market. "I'll be right back. Stay here, and keep your hood on." He ran off to join the line before it could get longer.

As she waited for Flynn, Selena began to look around. Even though she had only been in the kingdom for five minutes, she liked Luna so far. The place was beautiful, the people gave her friendly smiles—she couldn't wait for the festival to really get going. She also noticed that there were many small flags hung about houses. They were blue and white, the endemic colors of Luna. The crescent moon in the middle was blue while the rest of the flag was white. It was beautiful.

What really caught Selena's eye was the mural of the royal family. It was a picturesque painting that she couldn't keep her eyes off of. The king and queen stood side by side. The king was handsome. He had black hair and a bit of stubble on his chin, wearing imperial blue and lavender robes. His eyes were lavender. The queen was absolutely gorgeous. She also had black hair and her eyes were indigo. She wore a lavender and blue dress with white sleeves. In her arms was an adorable baby girl swaddled in a blue blanket. She had the same eyes as her father. Her hair was white. Crowns adorned all their heads. And as Selena continued to stare at the baby girl, a nostalgic feeling entered her chest, as if she knew this girl.

Under the mural, people put pots of flowers. Most of them were lupines. A mother and her daughter kneeled in front of the painting. The little girl put a lupine under the baby girl in the mural. "It's for the lost princess," she said. Selena smiled at her. She heard a few things about the lost princess from people who passed their shoddy little house, but never from her sister. She didn't like to talk about it for some reason. She thought was nice to see how these people cherished the royal family. She hoped the lost princess would be found some day.

Selena stopped gazing at the mural when she heard music. She began dancing around, not paying attention to the crowd she was attracting.

Flynn, who was still at the marketplace, heard the music and turned to see what was going on. Sure enough, Selena was able to gather a group of people into a little jamboree. He nearly laughed at how much fun Selena was having. She reminded him of himself when he was a child, when his mother used to take him into the village on his birthday. He remembered dancing with her and everybody else in town like the happy-go-lucky kid he was. Now, as he watched Selena dance with such energy and joy on her face, he a bit left out… Not that he wanted to join in.

Seeing the young man staring at her, Selena gestured for him to join in on the fun. Flynn quickly declined. However, as he was about to turn back to the food stand, Lupe pushed him into the dancing circle. Flynn glared at Lupe as he was partnered with a stranger. The wolf grinned at him coyly.

Later, when they were able to escape from the dance—just before a pair of passing guards could spot them in the dancing circle—Flynn took Selena into a bookstore. The young woman stared at the books in awe. "This place is amazing! I've never seen so many books in my life!"

"You must really like books," Flynn said.

She nodded giddily. "We only have seven books in the house. I've read all of them at least ten times. It's nice to see something different."

To get her started, Flynn began showing her books of different genres, including one that showed the whole world. Selena soon began looking around on her own for anything that looked interesting to her. She beamed in delight when she saw a book that finally caught her eye. Flynn peeked over her shoulder to see what she was reading. "What kind of flower is that?"

"A chrysanthemum," she said. "Isn't it beautiful?" She turned the page. "And this is a Bermuda buttercup. This is a scarlet pimpernel. And this…"

Flynn stared at the enticed look on Selena's face as she showed him to motley of flowers in that gardening book. It was amazing how much she knew despite the limited amount of knowledge she gained in that quaint little hovel she lived in. "You really like flowers, don't you?"

"They're my passion. I've always wanted a garden of my own." She sighed as she held the book to her chest. "I never thought I'd be able to read so much about carnations. There's nothing more amazing than this."

Flynn thought for a moment. "Let me show you something."

The prince took her outside. He led her on until they were in front of the castle. There posed a garden. It was the largest garden the young woman had ever seen.

"What is this place?"

"It's the village garden," Flynn explained. "The king and queen allow the villagers to decorate it in any way they want."

The look on Selena's face was golden. She looked like she was in heaven. Before Flynn's eyes could catch up, Selena ran up to the garden so fast her cloak nearly flew off.

Flynn watched as she began to arrange the flowers into a certain pattern. She took most of the white flowers. Soon, the other villagers working on the garden stopped their work to watch this girl in action. She planted and arranged the carnations like some kind of art. It was an incredible sight. When she was finished, Selena clapped the dirt off her hands and stepped back to see her work. In the center of the garden was the crescent moon of Luna.

The crowd ogled the symbol. Flynn gawked at it. He could barely utter a word to describe the display he just saw.

Selena smiled at him boastfully. "I take it that that look on your face means you're impressed."

He nodded.

A rumble broke the silent exchange of words Flynn handed over and both adults blushed. "We still haven't eaten anything today," Selena said.

Flynn had another idea. "How about a mid afternoon, late morning snack?"

"Like what?"

"Have you ever had a cupcake?"

Flynn led her to another stand where they were selling special treats. Seeing Selena munching on the cupcake was fascinating. When she first took a bite, she took delicate bites. "It's so sweet!" she said. "I want to savor each bite until it's gone."

Another pair of guards began to approach and the prince quickly led them into an alley. When they passed, the two laughed. Lupe barked comically.

Afternoon was approaching quickly, and the three were suddenly back at the center of the village. There were still a group of people dancing around, so Selena pulled him back into the circle.

As they danced, Flynn watched as Selena twirled around with other partners in an ethereal state. She was like an angel. He wasn't even paying attention to his own actions, but he was sure whatever he was doing, it was fine so far. Before he knew it, the ashen-haired girl ended up in his arms. She smiled at him and he smiled back, both panting heavily when the dance was over.

The crowd cheered at the wonderful display they just saw. When the applause was finished, someone shouted out, "To the docks!" Everyone immediately began to disperse, leaving the two in the center of town gazing into each other's eyes.

Realizing the position they were still in, Flynn pulled away quickly. "So, um, I guess we should meet up with the others and head for the docks."

"Yeah," Selena said. "Let's go."

Flynn led the way, hiding a blush away from the young woman. Selena was blushing as well and tried to hide it under her clock hood. Lupe saw this and nudged her leg with her head. Selena looked down at her, seeing her companion's sly grin. "What?" Lupe rolled her eyes before continuing forward.

These two were so obvious.

* * *

><p>After much wandering, Ambrose was finally able to track her sister down in the kingdom of Luna. The thief made it far. Hopefully, he hadn't done anything to Selena.<p>

But even after she reached her destination, she still had no idea where to start her search. They could've been anywhere, but how hard was it to point out an 18-year-old girl with snow white hair?

As she continued to ponder on this, Ambrose didn't realize she was slowly approaching a crowd. She accidentally bumped into an older gentleman, who didn't even notice the young woman had bumped into him. Wanting to see what was so enthralling, Ambrose pushed through the crowd and saw a circle of dancing denizens. The young woman rolled her eyes. What was so interesting about this? It was just a bunch of poor, aging souls dancing for a princess they would never find. Or so she hoped.

Her eyes widened at the sight of one particular girl that stood out among all of the dancers. The young woman was wearing a cloak, but Ambrose could still clearly see the white hair sticking out from under the hood.

Ambrose continued to watch the girl dancing around in the circle instead of reaching out to get her. It was obvious she was fine—she wouldn't be dancing around if she wasn't—and she hadn't been kidnapped. Something drove her to disobey her older sister and leave their little safe haven, but what?

At the climax of the dance, Selena ended up in the arms of a young man. He was wearing a matching cloak. In fact, they were the only two in the bunch that were wearing cloaks…

Bingo.

He was the reason she left. She recognized this young man from his bounty poster; he looked exactly the same, except for the nose. This was Flynn Rider, the legendary thief who stole the princess's crown in Corona. He was the one who took her sister, not the Thieving Brothers. She imagined him to be a bit older, but he looked about the same age as Selena. Why was he dancing with her instead of returning her to the king and queen? Didn't this Flynn Rider know who he was holding?—how valuable she was? This couldn't be the same Flynn Rider.

When the dance was over, someone shouted out, "To the docks!" The crowd began to disperse. Ambrose took this opportunity to go forward so she could retrieve her sister.

However, she stopped in her tracks when she saw the looks on their faces. Selena looked absolutely bewitched by this stranger. Ambrose couldn't believe this. Was her naïve little sister really falling in love with this thief?

Ambrose hid away in an alley as she watched her young sister, her dog companion, and the thief walk off. She took out her knife, which had been tucked away safely. Just as she was about to attack, she heard gruff voices mumbling behind her.

"How does he keep getting away from us?"

"That Rider's a sly one, Marty, but he's not going to escape us this time. We'll get our crown soon enough."

Ambrose went towards the conversation and found the Thieving Brothers wandering through the town. They were after the crown, and they thought Flynn Rider still had it with him. Very interesting.

A terribly ingenious idea lit up in Ambrose's mind.

"Once I get a hold of that Rider, I'm gonna—"

"_Oh boys~!_" The two older men turned around to see the young woman holding out a dirty satchel. "I believe this is what you're looking for." She threw the bag at them. The lost princess's crown fell out once it landed on the ground. The men went at it like dogs. "Well, if that's all you desire, then I'll be on my way. I mean, I was going to offer you something worth _1,000_ crowns which would've made you rich beyond belief, and that wasn't even the best part. Oh well. _C'est la vie_. Enjoy your silly little crown."

Just as Ambrose began walking off, the Thieving Brothers called out to her. "What's the best part?"

Ambrose smirked spitefully. She got them where she wanted them. "It comes with revenge on Flynn Rider…"

* * *

><p>Queen Rapunzel sighed as she looked up from the window in the library. Her son was still missing, and the soldiers found no trace of him. The best guard in the kingdom was also missing, so finding Flynn almost seemed impossible. The royal couple decided, as a last result, to send a letter to the neighboring kingdom of Luna. It seemed very improbable that Flynn would venture that far away from home, but they were desperate and they needed help. Maybe Luna could help them somehow.<p>

But as she sat and waited, Rapunzel continued to mull over the negative feelings in her heart. Today was Flynn's birthday and he was gone. She wanted nothing more than to spend this time with him, and his disappearance continued to remind her that it was her fault. She chased her oldest son away because she was too motherly, and she might never see him again. Eugene continued to tell her she was exaggerating, but she was still unsure.

"Rapunzel, dear." The queen turned away from the window and her thoughts for a moment to see her mother, the retired queen Victoria, approaching her. "May I join you?"

Rapunzel smiled and nodded. Ever since she reunited with her parents, she began to find that she shared some very similar qualities with them. One of them was reading, which her mother loved very much. So she wasn't surprised when she saw her mother walking towards her in the library.

When Victoria took a seat next to her, she sighed. "Eugene told me about your little spat with Flynn."

Hearing this, Rapunzel suddenly began unraveling. "I know setting him up on those dates was wrong, but how else was I supposed to protect him? He won't listen, he's always getting into trouble, and now he's gone and it's all my fault—!"

"Calm down, dear. I understand. How do you think your father and I felt when you were taken away from us?"

Rapunzel smiled sadly when she remembered her departed father. King Theodore, the man she named her youngest son after, was a great father. When she started living with her parents again, he was very overprotective of her, especially when Eugene, the man who reunited the royal family, revealed himself to be Flynn Rider.

"When you were returned to us, your father thought it would've been better to keep you in the confines of the castle instead of letting you walk among the townsfolk, as a precautionary measure. I was finally able to convince him that if we kept you locked up, we would be just as bad as that Gothel woman who locked you up in that tower."

Rapunzel guffawed. She knew her father was just trying to protect her, but it did annoy her sometimes when he insisted she stayed in the castle. Now she knew how Flynn felt.

A sad smile played on her lips as she and her mother reminisced about the passed king. "I miss him."

Victoria put a hand over her daughter's. "I miss him, too." Her eyes glanced up at the clock above Rapunzel. "It's almost time to release the lanterns." She stood and held out her arm for Rapunzel to take. "We should join the rest of the family."

Rapunzel nodded and smiled. She took her mother's arm and they both went out to join the rest of the family. Flynn's disappearance wasn't going to stop the lanterns from being sent off into the sky. If anything else, it would bring them closer to the crowned prince, and hopefully he would see the lanterns, thinking of the family that was awaiting his return.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know what to say now that I haven't said in my profile. New Year. New stories. Classic stories shortly coming to an end (if I can help it). I'm sorry for all of you who were waiting for so long.<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	10. A Night to Remember

**A Night To Remember**

A bird sat perched on the balcony on the castle of Luna. It chirped for acknowledgement. It wasn't long until a woman came and answered its call. She was a beautiful woman, with long, luscious ebony hair tied into a smooth French braid. Her pale, silky hand reached out for the bird to perch on as she retrieved the note that was attached to its delicate leg.

After she read it, the queen immediately ran to her husband. "Thomas!"

The king was preparing for tonight when his wife ran into their bed chambers. "Veronica, what is it?"

"Look at this."

King Thomas rose a questioning brow as his wife handed him the letter. On His Majesty's personal stationary, King Eugene and Queen Rapunzel explained the sudden disappearance of their eldest son yesterday. The captain of the guards was also AWOL, and their soldiers couldn't find a trace of him. Now they were asking for their help.

"Isn't it awful?" Queen Veronica said.

The king of Luna shook his head. "It's a sad day indeed when another heir of one of the two United Kingdoms is taken away from us. I just don't see how we can help them when we're still in a predicament of our own." He set the letter down on the dresser, very upset. "Our little girl is still missing, not to mention her crown. She's somewhere out there being abused by that miscreant…!" He sat on the bed, covering his face to prevent tears. "What more can we do?"

Queen Veronica sat beside him and put a consoling hand on his back. "We'll find her. I know we will."

Thomas smiled up at his wife. "How did I come to deserve such a wonderful queen?"

Her smile increased into a grin. She kissed her husband tersely before standing. "I know we may not be able to provide any assistance to our fellow kingdom, but the least we can do is send our condolences. They already lost an heir once. Going through it again is not much better."

King Thomas sighed. "Alright." He glanced up at the father clock. "It's almost time."

"We can do it after then. The kingdom is waiting for us."

The king nodded. He offered his arm to his wife, and the royal couple made their way outside to send off the first lupine for their lost princess.

* * *

><p>Selena sighed as she, Lupe, and Flynn made their way to the docks. As she stared at Flynn, a sudden feeling began bubbling in her belly. As if sensing her gaze, Flynn looked back at her, and she quickly turned away so he wouldn't see her blush. When he turned back, Selena sighed and continued to look at him dreamily.<p>

Lupe nudged her leg again. "Lupe, no, I can't," she whispered.

She growled a bit. "Because it just wouldn't be right."

The wolf rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that! It's not my fault I'm so confused. I mean, I do have these feelings… Should I really tell him?" Lupe didn't reply this time. Selena sighed. If her best wasn't going to help her, then she really needed to think. And she really needed to get away from Flynn for awhile.

Before they reached the docks, Selena called out to Flynn. "Do you mind if I just… I'll meet you up there later."

"Is everything okay?" Flynn asked, with a hint of concern.

"Y-Yes! Everything's…. Everything's great! I just need to cool off for a second. I can only take so much excitement in one day. You can just go ahead without us."

Flynn didn't seem to believe her but he left the issue alone. She obviously needed some time to herself—with Lupe, apparently. "Okay. Just don't take too long. They're going to send the lupines off soon and I don't want you to miss out on anything."

"We'll be there."

Selena smiled as she watched Flynn's back disappear. Then she sighed, her smile ceasing to a sincere one.

"_Well~!_ I thought he'd _never_ leave!"

Selena's smile disappeared and turned to see an older woman. Lupe growled and backed up when she recognized the woman. They both knew that voice too well. "Ambrose?"

"Hello, dear little sister." She took Selena into her arms.

Selena stiffened in the hug as Ambrose ran her fingers through her hair. "What are you doing here?" was what she really wanted to say, but she already knew her sister would be here, which made her even more embarrassed that she was found out. But she thought Ambrose would already be on her way home by now. She must've known she ran away. Instead, Selena asked, "How'd you find me?"

"Well, it was quite easy. After I found those buttercups you wanted _so much_ for your birthday, I suddenly heard the sweet sounds of utter betrayal and followed that. Now, here I am, with my precious, disobedient, little sister." Ambrose laughed bitterly.

Selena sighed guiltily. "Sis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"We're going home, Selena," Ambrose said without allowing her to apologize. "Now."

"Sis, you don't understand," Selena said, pulling away from her sister's grasp. "I've been on this incredible journey, and I've seen and learned so much. I even met this guy—"

"Yes, the infamous thief, Flynn Rider. I'm so proud."

Selena frowned at her sarcasm. "He's not who you think he is. There's more to him than you'll ever know."

Ambrose rolled her eyes. Could her sister be more naïve? "I'm sure there is. Now come on." She began dragging Selena away. Lupe barked at her and began to pull Selena back by the end of her skirt.

"Sis, wait." Selena away from her again and rubbed her wrist. "I think… I think he likes me."

"Likes you?" Ambrose laughed. "Please, Selena, that's _demented_. Do you really think he's impressed by… this?" She gestured at Selena's luscious white waves. "If nothing else, you're just a tool to him."

Selena's mouth was agape. "How could you say that? Flynn would never treat me like that! He's not a hoodlum like the ones you've always told me about, who, by the way, happen to be very nice people! He doesn't need my hair because he has magical hair of his own! In fact, he's not even a thief; he's a _prince!_"

"A prince?" Ambrose was in a fit of hysterics. She let out one last guffaw before saying, "This is why you never should have left. This whole 'romance' you've invented just proves you're too naïve to be here. Why else would he want to be with you? To get to know you better? You really think this will end in a lovey-dovey relationship like in those ridiculous fairytales you always read?"

"Well, maybe…" Selena looked down, shamefaced. Why did her sister always insist on crushing her dreams?

Ambrose scoffed. "Don't be a dummy and come back home with me." She held out her arms for Selena.

"NO!" Selena shouted. "I won't!" She would not allow her sister to take this away from her. So far, she had already proved her sister's assumption were very wrong. She wasn't going to leave now when she was having so much fun. And she was definitely _not_ going to let her sister get in the way of the only happiness she will possibly have in her life. She was going to stand her ground. Lupe stood happily by her side. She'd never seen this side of her companion, and she was happy to see that Selena was finally taking charge in her life.

"No?" By the look in her eyes, Selena was serious. She had never seen that look in her eyes before. She knew then that she wouldn't be able to convince her sister to leave at this point. She glanced back and forth from her sister to the wolf as she reached her final decision. "Fine. I see how it is. I guess _Selena_ knows best. _Selena's_ mature enough to take care of herself, is she?"

Selena looked at her sister charily. "What are you…?"

"If you're so sure that this boy loves you, then give him this." Ambrose tossed something shiny at Selena.

The younger girl's eyes widened when she saw the crown in her hands. "How did you…"

"This is the reason why he ran off to Luna with you in the first place, Selena. If it wasn't for your hair, I'm sure he would've left a long time ago. Go ahead. Give him the crown and see how fast he'll leave you."

Selena frowned. "I will! Flynn does love me, and I know he won't leave me for this stupid crown! He has no reason to lie to me!"

"Put him to the test if you're so sure." Ambrose tossed the satchel to her as well. "But if he's lying, don't come crying to me."

"Ambrose, wait…!"

Before she could get another word out, the older woman disappeared. That was another quirk about Ambrose Selena hated: the woman was really good at ending the conversation first.

Selena sighed as she looked down at the crown. "What if she's right?" she asked aloud. That was what she feared the most: Ambrose being right for once. Even though her older sister was always wrong—but she'd never admit it if her life depended on it—she was afraid that one day, she could be right.

Lupe nudged her leg and shook her head. She didn't want Selena to listen to her sister. They both knew how bogus Ambrose's claims were—they lived through them. Flynn had no reason to lie to them. They both knew that, and Selena had no reason to doubt him. Maximus, Jerrod, and Pascal were proof of that.

Selena smiled at her and petted her head. "I guess you're right. Let's go to the docks with the others."

As the young woman and her canine companion walked away, Ambrose and the Thieving Brothers watched, waiting for the plot to commence.

"How long is this going to take?" Marty asked.

"Yeah," Robby said. "What about this 'revenge on Rider' thing you were talking? We won't get our prize if we just sit here!"

"Just be patient, boys," Ambrose said. "All goods things come to those who wait…"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Flynn walked to the docks, he couldn't stop thinking about a certain hoary-haired girl. Selena was one of a kind. She was so spirited, willing to try new things; he was the girl of his dreams. She was better than all of those girls his mom always tried to set him up with. When their journey was over, maybe he could take her to Corona so she could meet his family.<p>

Flynn face-palmed himself. _I can't do that! She needs to go back home! It was part of the deal. Once this is over, I get the crown and we pretend that this never happened._

He sighed sadly. That plan sounded overrated now that they were here. Flynn didn't want to leave Selena when this was over. He didn't want to be away from her, not when they were having so much fun. He knew she was miserable in that quaint hovel. She couldn't go back there; how could she live if she was stuck in that tiny house all day? She had to be with him.

Flynn was so lost in thought, once he arrived at the docks, he didn't even notice Jerrod pounding on him with questions. "So, how'd it go?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Flynn. It's obvious you have a thing for Selena. What'd you guys do?"

"You make it seem like we did nothing but make out with each other." Jerrod's eyebrow quirked suggestively. "We _didn't_ make out! I just showed her around the village. I took her to the library, showed her the garden, we ate a few cupcakes, and then we danced all day long…"

"How was it?"

"It was…" Flynn could only thing of one word that could describe the day he had with Selena. "… magical."

"You're such a sap."

Flynn punched his arm. "Shut up. So how was your day with Maximus and Pascal?"

Hearing his name, Pascal appeared on Jerrod's shoulder. He chirped happily when the young man scratched his chin. "It was pretty nice, actually. Maximus wouldn't keep his eyes off me, but other than that, he, Pascal and I had a lot of fun touring the village together."

"Really?" Flynn never thought the palace horse could actually be in the category of fun. Maybe being outside the walls of Corona loosened him up a bit.

"Hey, where's Selena, anyway?" Jerrod asked. "It's a quarter to midnight."

"She's coming. She wanted to stay behind for a little bit." As if on cue, Selena and Lupe suddenly came into view. "Did you get us a boat?"

"Yeah, it's that one." Jerrod pointed to a fancy rowboat in front of them. "Got it especially for the couple."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "So I'm guessing you and Maximus are going to stay on land and watch."

"Yep. Do you think it's a good idea to bring that wolf and Pascal along?"

"Selena and Lupe can't be separated, and I'm pretty sure if Lupe's on board, then so is Pascal." The chameleon stuck his tongue out. He wasn't going to admit he had a crush on a dog when he was just a tiny lizard. He climbed onto the prince's shoulder pompously.

"Well, have fun." Jerrod patted his other shoulder before going to the horse.

Flynn turned to see Lupe and Selena, who seemed to be standing anxiously about. When he approached them, Flynn put a hand on her shoulder. "Snow White." She didn't respond. He shook her shoulder a bit. "Hey Snow White, you okay?"

When she was focused, Selena backed away a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she put a stray hair behind her ear. "I was just… lost in thought." She turned away from him to see the boat. Her eyes began glowing with giddy again. "Are we riding that?"

"Yep." Flynn took her hand and helped her on the boat. Once they were all comfortably inside, Flynn began to row them away. Before they could get too far, Flynn called out to Maximus. "Hey Max!" He tossed a bag full of apples onto the dock. Maximus glanced at them shadily. "What? I bought them!… Most of them!" Flynn quickly rowed them away before Maximus could dare to jump into the boat.

"Where are we going?" Selena asked.

"Well, best day of your life? I figured you should have the best seat in the house." Flynn gently set Pascal on the knot that held the ropes before he continued to row them further down the lake.

Flynn kept going until they were in the middle of the lake. By that time, the sky was dark, and the lights from the kingdom were the only things illuminating in night. They two propped their arms on the edge of the boat as they waited for the festival to start. Seeing the kingdom began to remind Flynn of home, which made him homesick again.

He tried to stop thinking about his family by turning his attention back to Selena, who seemed to a bit down. "You know, it's really hard to believe you're okay when you're like this. You're not acting yourself, Snow White. What's wrong?"

Selena sighed before answering. "I'm just… confused, and a bit terrified."

"Why?"

"I've been looking out that window for 18 years, dreaming about what it would feel like once I saw those lights rise in the sky and the lupines float down the river. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

"I thought the same thing before I left Corona. I never imagined I'd be doing what I've done the past two days. It's been crazy," Flynn laughed, "but it's also been amazing—incredible, to say the least." Flynn suddenly took her hand. "Don't worry, Selena. I've seen these lanterns a thousand times. Trust me; it'll be everything you've ever dreamed of and more."

"What if it is? What do I do then?"

Flynn thought for a moment before answering. "That's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Selena grinned at him, blushing a bit. "Thanks for talking me into this."

Flynn smiled back. "You're welcome."

Then the two sat in silence as they waited for the festival to start.

**~oxo~**

When the clock reached twelve, King Eugene, Queen Rapunzel, and the rest of the Royal Family were outside where the rest of the village was waiting. Sitting on a pedestal were two lanterns. There were supposed to be three, but since the crowned prince was missing, the family decided to save the third one for when he came home. Once he did, they'd send out into the sky the night of his return to signify his homecoming.

Together, Rapunzel and Eugene took their lantern from its post and pushed it to the sky. Victoria, Rosemarie, Teddy and the rest of the village followed their example. Shortly after, the sky was decorated in a blanket of colorful lanterns.

As they flew away into the neighboring kingdom, Rapunzel sighed. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. Eugene saw this and wiped it away. "This is a happy occasion, Punz. Don't worry. Max will find our boy."

"I know." Rapunzel sighed again. "But wherever he is, I hope he finds our lantern and knows how much we love him."

The king wrapped his arm around his queen as they watched the lanterns float away into the night.

**~oxo~**

King Thomas and Queen Veronica made their way outside to their garden. A river ran downstream towards the lakes outside the kingdom and flowed into the neighboring kingdom. Waiting for them was a lupine sitting on a pillar. This one was white like the magical one they found to cure their princess the night she was born, but it was lacking the same enchanting quality. This one would be the only white lupine sent out among the thousands of lupines that would be flowing in the river so their lost princess could find it and know that her parents were awaiting her return.

Together, the king and queen of Luna took the delicate flower and set it on the riverbed. From there, it began to slowly drift downriver into the lake. Once the villagers saw it, then they'd send out their own lupines.

Once their flower disappeared down the riverbed, the king shed a tear. Queen Veronica saw this and wiped it away before planting a kiss on his cheek. "We'll find her."

King Thomas took her hand away. "I hope so." He went back inside, not bothering to say another word.

Queen Veronica sighed. She knew he was losing hope. It was evident in his eyes. If their little girl wasn't found soon, then there would be no hope left.

**~oxo~**

The night was still young as Flynn and Selena waited for the lanterns and flowers to appear. As they waited, Selena picked flowers from Flynn's hand and set them in the lake. She had saved some flowers from the garden she arranged earlier that day, and she couldn't think of a better time to use them than at this moment.

When Selena set down a morning glory, she noticed something glinting in the reflection of the water. When she realized it wasn't a star, she looked up at the sky and lanterns were appearing.

_All those days, watching from the windows,_

_All those years, outside looking in,_

_All that time, never even knowing,_

_Just how blind I've been_

Selena quickly sped to the other side of the boat, making it rock back and forth, to see the parade of lights floating through the sky. She leaned over at the boat, admiring the view. Then she looked back down at the lake and saw that the lupines were already surrounding their boat. It was like a tiny parade of purples, blues, and lavenders. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

_Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight,_

_Now I'm here, suddenly I see,_

_Standing here, it's, oh, so clear,_

_I'm where I'm meant to be_

Selena was awestricken. For the past 18 years, she had always seen the lights and the flowers floating outside her window, and for years, she always wanted to see them in a closer light. But she never imagined them to be this incredible. Flynn was right; it was everything she ever dreamed of and more. It was truly magical. She was glad she ran away. If she didn't, she would've missed this wonderful sight.

And Selena wasn't the only one who thought so. Lupe and Pascal stared at the sky and waters together. It was the most incredible sight anyone could see on this very special night.

The colors in the sky and waters mixed together to create a beautiful montage of warm and cold colors. Selena was enticed. She couldn't look away.

_And at last I see the light,_

_And it's like the fog has lifted,_

_And at last I see the light,_

_And it's like the sky is new,_

_And it's warm and real and bright,_

_And the world has somehow shifted…_

However, Selena couldn't help notice that something was off. Behind her, she felt something warm glowing on her back. When she turned around, she gasped. In Flynn's hands were two lanterns. "Happy Birthday, Selena."

_All at once, everything is different,_

_Now that I see you_

With anticipation, Selena carefully knelt down in the boat. "Flynn, this is… this is just wonderful."

Flynn shrugged. "This is supposed to be the best day of your life. I thought it'd be boring if we just sat back and watched the action."

Selena paused when she remembered something. "I've got something for you, too." From behind her back, she pulled out the dirty satchel with the crown inside. "I… found it in town… I wanted to give it to you before we got on the boat, but… I was afraid you'd leave. But then I asked myself why should I be afraid? You're a prince. You don't need this need. And we both know you're going to have to go back home, anyway. So it seemed ridiculous that you would leave me just for a stupid crown… right?"

Flynn glanced at the bag for a moment before taking it from her, setting it down, and, surprisingly, kissing her on the cheek. When the prince's warm lips pulled away, he smiled at her once again while caressing her cheek. "You don't need to be afraid, Snow White. I'm not going to leave you. No crown or jewels or anything will convince me otherwise." He brush a strand of hair behind her ear before removing his hand.

Selena blushed, putting a hand to the cheek he pecked. She never felt so… _warm_ before. She also never felt so happy. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "I knew it."

Flynn wiped the tear away before handing her a lantern. Before she could send hers up to the sky, he stopped her and pulled out a pair of lupines. "I thought we could start our own tradition." Flynn took his lupine and put it on top of his lantern using one of its spikes so it could stay on. Selena glanced at his actions curiously. Before she knew it, the lantern was glowing a bright purple and soon, it started changing into other luminescent colors. Even though they weren't magic, the lupines still had magical qualities of their own. Selena happily did the same to her lantern. She ogled it with adoration. "You ready?" Selena nodded.

Together, the two released their lanterns into the sky.

_All those days, chasing down a daydream,_

_All those years, living in a blur,_

_All that time, never truly seeing,_

_Things the way they were_

Flynn admired the beautiful night sky. It was like being at home again. He remembered when his mother used to do this with him. It was his 8th birthday. They snuck out of the castle and took one of the boats next to the castile. He remembered how it felt doing those things with his mom before everything changed. It almost felt like tonight, only tonight felt a thousands times better for some reason.

It wasn't the flowers, not even the sight of his homeland's lanterns, but something else. And he had a feeling it had something to do with the white-haired girl ogling at the lanterns beside him.

_Now she's here, shining in the starlight,_

_Now she's here, suddenly I know,_

_If she's here, it's crystal clear,_

_I'm where I'm meant to go_

As they continued to watch the night, Flynn noticed something white floating in the water. It was a lupine, but it was the only white one among the thousands. The flawless color reminded him of Selena. Once it was by the boat, Flynn carefully took the lupine out of the water. He wiped it off a bit before putting behind Selena's ear. When she felt the flower, she smiled at him before glancing at the festival again.

Flynn couldn't take his eyes off of Selena after that. Everything about this girl was just amazing. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her personality—he could go on. There was nothing he wanted to do more than be with this girl right now.

"Flynn, look!"

He suddenly tore his gaze away to see what she was pointing at. It was a lantern, but it was different from the others. This one had something on the back of it. As it got closer, Selena leaned over the boat and tried to grab it. Once it was in her hands, she began reading what was written on it. She gave to Flynn, a nervous look on her face. "It's for you."

Flynn took the lantern inquisitively on the back of it, he read, "'We're waiting for you, son. We're waiting with open arms and warm smiles. When you return, there will be no scorning, only laughing and crying. Because when you come back, it won't matter that you ran away. What matters is that you're still our son, and no matter what, we will always love you. Love, your beloved King and Queen of Corona." Flynn bit his lip, resisting the urge to cry. Why now?

"It sounds like they really miss you," Selena said.

"Yeah," was his quiet reply. He blew out the lantern and set it down in the boat before wiping his tears away. "I know that I've made them worried sick. I promised I would return and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Selena sighed sadly. "I know." She should've known Flynn wouldn't be able to stick around forever. He was a prince, after all. He had a family and a kingdom to return to. He couldn't keep them waiting any longer. Flynn was truly a trustworthy guy, which made her love him even more. And that made it more painful knowing he would leave her.

"But," Flynn said as he took her hands into his. "I think they'll understand if I come home a little late." Selena looked at him, a little surprised. He smiled at her with pure adoration. Oh, did he look irresistible.

_And at last I see the light,_

_And it's like the fog has lifted,_

_And at last I see the light,_

_And it's like the sky is new,_

_And it's warm and real and bright,_

_And the world has somehow shifted…_

Flynn gazed into her perfect, lavender eyes. He didn't want to see them without that sparkling glint. Selena squeezed his hands. Even though they surrounded by the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, the only things she could look at right now were his chocolate brown eyes. They were going to make this moment last knowing that they were probably never going to see each other again.

From afar, Pascal and Lupe watched the two as they continued to gaze at each. Pascal leaned against the wolf and sighed. Lupe looked down at him and practically smiled. They knew it was only a matter of time before those two finally decided to come out of their shells. They were in love.

The lanterns and flowers surrounding them beamed as the couple came closer together. Flynn brought a hand back up to her cheek and slowly caressed it. Selena leaned forward, closing her eyes and pursing her lips. She wanted to feel that same warm sensation like she did when he kissed her cheek. She wanted Flynn. She wanted to show him how much she loved him.

Flynn looked down at her lips, then back to her lovely face. Seeing her like this, absolutely glowing, made him want her even more. He loved her, and he was going to prove it. Slowly, the prince began to lean in, anticipating the sweet taste of the young maiden's lips.

_All at once, everything is different_

_Now that I see you…_

_Now that I…_

… _See you._

Just as Flynn was about to kiss her, he noticed something behind Selena. On the shore on the other side of the kingdom, he could spot two figures. He recognized them as the Thieving Brothers. The bigger man, Robby, was holding a green lantern while the other brother, Marty, had something glinting and almost sharp-looking in his hand. When they made eye contact with the prince, they began walking away and disappeared behind a boulder.

Flynn frowned. He knew why they were waiting there. They wanted their crown back. He knew he had to return it. It wasn't his to keep, but it wasn't theirs to take, either. But if he didn't return it, then they'd be in even more trouble.

"Flynn?" The prince looked from the shore to the young woman's face. "Is everything okay?" She looked back to the shore where he was staring not too long ago.

"Huh?" Flynn smiled nervously at Selena knowing their romantic moment was now broken. "Oh, yes. Everything's fine." He cleared his throat abruptly. "I just…" He glanced at the satchel sitting next to her. He knew what he had to do.

Selena watched him curiously as he took the oars and began rowing the boat to the shore. Once on land, Flynn pulled the boat further up so it wouldn't float away. He took the satchel that had caused all the trouble. "Flynn, where are you going?" Selena asked.

Flynn couldn't stand to see that look in his eye. "Don't worry. I told you everything is fine. I just…" He looked at the satchel. "I just have to take care of something real fast, okay?"

Selena looked unsure at first, but she knew she could trust Flynn. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Flynn smiled back. "Do not leave the boat, no matter what. I'll be back shortly."

Selena watched as Flynn began to walk off. As soon as he was gone, Selena looked at her friends. Pascal and Lupe looked up at her with concern. Lupe began whimpering. Pascal climbed onto her shoulder and squeaked. Selena petted both of their heads. "It's okay, you guys. Flynn'll be back soon." Lupe began to climb out of the boat to follow the prince, but Selena grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her back in. "Stay, Lupe. I'm sure he'll be alright by himself."

Meanwhile, Flynn continued to walk down the shore until he spotted one of the brothers. He knew if the other one was missing, then something had to be up. Before he could go back, he bumped into something bulky behind him. He turned to see the other brother, Robby. He grabbed Flynn and threw him in front of his brother.

"Look who I've found, Marty," Robby said. "Flynn Rider."

Marty smirked. "I believe you have something we want, _Rider_."

Flynn got up and brushed himself off. "I know. You want the crown, right? Here. Take it." He threw the satchel to the ground. The lost princess's crown fell out it. "I never wanted it in the first place." Marty and Robby stared at the bag indifferently. Flynn cleared his throat awkwardly. "Now that you have the crown back, I guess I'll go—"

Before he knew it, he had bumped into Robby's chest again. "You're not running out on us again, Rider," he snarled.

"What?"

"When we heard the infamous Flynn Rider found something much more valuable than the crown," Marty said, "we just had to snatch that opportunity before it could slip away from us, again." Marty threw down his knife and kicked the crown away as he walked towards Flynn. "We want the girl, instead."

Flynn's eyes widened. They knew about Selena, they knew about her power—and she was still alone on the beach. He had to get to her before they could. But before he could make a move, Robby secured his arms.

"No!" he cried. "You can't have her!"

"I believe you don't have a choice in the matter. You took our fortune away once, Rider. We'd be damned if we let that happen again."

Before he could call out to warn her, Marty knocked the prince into unconsciousness.

**~oxo~**

Even though she promised to stay in the boat, Selena was getting stiff and bored just sitting around in it, so she and Lupe climbed out. She hugged the bow as she waited Flynn to come back. Lupe's ears suddenly perked up when she heard approaching footsteps. Selena noticed this and saw a dark figure approaching. It had to be Flynn.

She sighed in relief. "I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." Suddenly, the figure split into two. Selena's eyes widened. That wasn't Flynn.

Lupe stood protectively in front of her. She could smell a familiar, nasty scent coming from them. When they were closer, Selena saw that they were the thieves. "You…"

"He did," the bigger one answered.

Selena's eyes dilated. "What? No, he wouldn't leave me. He promised."

The brothers smirked at each other. "See for yourself," the smaller one said, gesturing towards the sea.

Selena's eyes slowly followed his gesture. She saw someone sailing a boat back to the kingdom. She gasped when she recognized the blue vest and blonde hair on the figure. "Flynn?" She ran to the edge of the shore. "Flynn!" she called out to him. He didn't even look back. Even Pascal and Lupe couldn't believe it. Selena's eyes became glossy. "No…"

"A fair trade," Marty said. "A crown for the girl with the magic hair."

Selena stiffened. Flynn told them about her hair. How could he betray her like this? How could he look her in the eye and just lie? Now she was going to be sold by these thieves because he wanted money. He really was a backstabbing thief.

"How much do you think someone would pay for eternal youth?" Robby asked.

"Not to mention everlasting health," Marty added.

Selena's eyes widened when she saw Robby take out a sack. "No," she cried as she backed away. "Please don't. No!"

As the thieves advanced towards her, Lupe ran forward and bit Robby's leg. He yelped out in pain. While they tried to pry off the wolf, Selena ran as fast as she could. However, she was soon dragged back by her hair, which was caught on some branches. "No!"

As she tried to pull her hair free, she heard something like a grunt of pain. Then she heard a familiar, distraught voice shouting her name, "Selena!"

"Ambrose?" As soon as her hair was untangled, Selena ran back to the shore to see her sister holding a hefty piece of wood and the two thieves unconscious. Lupe was sitting on the ground licking her paw as if it were injured. "Lupe!" The wolf barked and limped towards her owner. Selena hugged her and held her paw. "You're hurt." When she tried to wrap her hair around it, the wolf backed away and growled. "Lupe?"

"Oh, my precious baby sister! I'm so glad you're safe!" The young girl was suddenly engulfed in a hug by her older sister. She understood why Lupe had backed away now; she never liked Ambrose, and her saving their lives wasn't going to change that.

"Ambrose, I thought you weren't going to come back," Selena said as she pulled away from the hug.

"I was so worried about you. I followed you and then I saw them attack you!" Ambrose embraced her again. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, Selena. You're just my little sister and I will always be there for you." Selena never felt so happy to see her sister at this moment. Even after making disobeying her and making her worry so much, Ambrose still loved her and would never abandon her like a certain Flynn Rider did.

Selena wrapped her arms around her neck. "Thank you, Sis."

"Now let's go before they come to!"

As her sister ran off, Selena looked back at the water where Flynn had sailed off to. On her shoulder, Pascal squeaked sadly. Not only had he lied to her, but he also left his best friend behind.

_I was wrong about him._

Selena slowly turned around. Ambrose was waiting for her with open arms. She wasn't mad, she wasn't upset, she didn't even have that gloating look on her face that told Selena she was wrong. She just stood there and smiled with pure love and acceptance. Without hesitation, Selena ran into her arms and cried, letting out all of her sadness, frustration, and other distraught feelings. Slowly, the two sister began walking back to their cozy little hovel in the forest. And as soon as they got home, all Selena wanted to do was crawl into the covers and forget about the man who broke her heart.

* * *

><p>Jerrod sat on the edge of the dock as he and Maximus waited for Flynn, Selena, Pascal, and Lupe to come back. He and Maximus were simply dazzled by the display of lanterns and flowers that illuminated the night. Jerrod could almost describe as… magic. And because there were so many lanterns in their way, they lost track of the boat. Now it was only a matter of time before they came back.<p>

"Where do you think they are, Max?" Jerrod asked. The horse nickered, also wondering the same thing. Where could they have gone?

As if their question was answered, the two suddenly heard shouting from afar. "No! Wait, you guys!"

"Flynn?" Jerrod and Maximus looked over to see the prince being confined by the Luna guards. But Selena wasn't with him.

"Selena!" he called out to her. As he struggled against the guards, they began pulling him further away. "Selena!"

Jerrod looked back at the other side of the water. Selena was out there somewhere, and she was in trouble. Flynn was the only one who knew where she was. They had to set him free.

"Come on, Max. We have to save Flynn." Max was way ahead of him. As soon as Jerrod was on his saddle, white stallion ran as fast as the wind to catch up with the guards who had Flynn Rider. If they didn't catch up to them soon, then Prince Flynnigan Fitzherbert would never see the light of day.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa! This chapter took forever to finish. This story is almost over, people. Just two more chapters to go.<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	11. A Second Chance

**A Second Chance**

Rapunzel sighed as she glanced outside the library window. She usually enjoyed being in the library, but even the masses of books surrounding her couldn't appease her. She wanted her son to come home. It wasn't the same around here without him pulling his escape stunts with Teddy, or pranking Rosemarie, or even just playing chess with his grandmother. She just wanted him around even if it meant he'd cause trouble.

"Flynn, where are you?"

"Blondie?" Eugene entered the library looking for his wife. When he found her in her usual spot, he sighed. "Rapunzel, you've been sulking since last night. Come join your family for breakfast. The kids want you with us. _I_ want you with us." To try and convince her, Eugene used his legendary smolder.

Rapunzel sighed. She usually didn't fall for the smolder, but she didn't have the energy this morning. She smiled at her husband, and she felt very obliged that he was trying to cheer her up. "Alright." She took her husband's hand as she got out of the chair.

Just as they were about to exit the library, Rapunzel noticed something glowing outside the large windows of the library. "Eugene, look."

The king looked out the window and saw this. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Rapunzel ran over to get a closer look. It was a lantern. It was barely floating above the balcony of the library. She ran outside before it could fall any further and caught it. "Eugene, come look at this."

Eugene shortly joined her outside to see her catch. "Is that… one of ours?"

"No, it can't be." Rapunzel found something lying on top of the lantern. "It has a lupine on top."

* * *

><p>King Thomas sat at his desk writing to their neighboring kingdom of Corona while his wife Queen Veronica sat in front of her dresser and mirror brushing her hair. They had a few minutes to spare before breakfast, so Thomas decided he had time to write a response to the distress letter they received from them last night.<p>

When Veronica was done brushing her ebony locks, she set down the brush and looked outside. There was something glinting on their balcony. She went outside and found a lantern. On top of it was a blue lupine.

"Darling?" King Thomas called out to her. "What is it?"

"It's a lantern from Corona," she replied, "with a lupine on top of it."

The king went out to see what his wife was talking about. Indeed, there was a lupine on top of the lantern she found on their balcony. He had a feeling it was a sign, but he didn't know what it was trying to tell them.

"Your Majesties!" Someone suddenly cried out from the other side of their bedroom door.

"Enter," the king commanded.

A Luna guard came in. He saluted to his king. "Your Majesties, we have captured the renowned Flynn Rider."

"Flynn Rider? The thief?" King Thomas and Queen Veronica exchanged inquisitive glances. Flynn Rider hadn't been heard from in years. He was a childhood character, an old legend from when they were younger. The real thief was said to have been captured in Corona and was hung for his crimes. How did he end up here in Luna—alive?

"Yes, sir. The thief, Flynn Rider. But he claims that he's actually the crowned prince of Corona."

Veronica stifled a gasp. Thomas put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Where is he now?"

"In the dungeons, sir."

"Bring him to my court immediately."

"Yes, sir." The guard saluted before leaving the royal couple.

"I guess this means we're missing breakfast," Veronica finally said with a sigh.

"I guess so," Thomas replied. "Let's get this over with."

Taking her hand, the king and queen of Luna began to make their way to the Royal Court.

**~oxo~**

Flynn was pacing. Damn those thieves. They ruined everything. They probably already had her and were on their way to Orae or some far off country, farther than any place he had traveled these past two days. And it was all his fault.

But something else happened before he rowed them to shore, before he gave the brothers the bag, before the best day of his life was ruined. They couldn't have known about Selena's powers. Sure, having white hair might've been suspicious, but how could they have known she had the miraculous ability to cure the most heinous diseases or even make the oldest person in the world look like they were sixteen-years-old? Lucky guess? No, they didn't seem smart enough to guess something like that. Someone must've told them. But who?

As he paced in thought, the squeaking of the rusty dungeon door broke his concentration, and Flynn was confronted by the captain of the guards and two of his men. "You're coming with us, Rider," the captain said. "Or should I say, _Prince_ Rider." The other two guards snickered.

"Where am I going?" He didn't answer. Flynn's hand immediately went to his throat. "Oh."

"No, not there! The king has summoned a trial for you to see if you really are the prince of Corona or if you're an imposter. But if you're guilty…" The captain put his finger up to his throat and slid it across.

"… Oh." Flynn gulped. "Let's get this over with."

The two other guards grabbed his arms while the captain fettered them with chains. Then he led the way while the other two pulled Flynn along. As they walked, Flynn looked at the other miserable souls who would probably never get a second chance. Then he spotted two familiar faces. When he recognized them as the Thieving Brothers, he snapped.

Flynn shoved the left guard into one of the bars and head-butted the other in the stomach. Then he jumped so his chained hands were in front of him and pulled Marty as close to his face as possible.

"How did you know about her?" he questioned. "Tell me, now!"

"I-It was the old lady!" Marty sputtered.

"Old lady?"

"Yeah, she told us about that girl's magical powers. She even offered us a deal and everything just to get back at you, but when we were about to nab the girl, she clocked us."

"Where is she now?"

Before Marty could answer, Flynn was suddenly dragged back by the guards he pushed over. "No, no, no! Just—wait a second!"

"We don't have time to wait on you, Rider," the captain said. "We don't need you conversing with your _buddies_ and planning an escape."

"Wait! You don't understand! She's in trouble! Wait—!"

To silence his protests, one of the guards struck him in the back of the head. He wasn't knocked out, but his actions were slowed so the guards could drag him without any problems.

When Flynn's vertigo cleared, he noticed that they were no longer in the dungeons. They were inside the courts. This castle was almost _too_ similar to Corona's. Before him was a throne where the king was sitting. Next to him stood his wife, the queen. Behind them was a portrait. It was a painting of the royal family. The king and queen looked younger in the portrait. In the queen's arms was a swaddled baby girl with gorgeous white hair. The lost princess. He had never seen the lost princess before, but he knew if he ever met the girl, she'd be radiant.

…

_Son-of-a…!_

He _did_ know that girl. Why didn't he see it before? What was the chance he'd meet another girl with flawless white locks? The lost princess of Luna was obviously—

"Presenting the infamous thief, Flynnigan Rider. He is charged for the vast amount of theft attempts he has made in Corona and Luna—" Flynn had no idea his dad had looted in Luna. In fact, his dad never really told anyone the extent of his larceny. Yeah, pretending to be his dad's old persona was a _fantastic_ idea. "—and now he is being accused of identity fraud."

"I'm not lying!" he cried out. "I really am the crowned prince of Corona!"

"If you really are the prince of Corona," the king said, "then why have you come to my kingdom, and why did you have my daughter's crown?"

"I was tied to the mast of the boat! The crown was tied to my hand! They can tell you!" He gestured his head towards the guards standing around the court. They didn't respond.

"It's true, sir," the captain said. "My men did find him tied up in the boat, and he was by himself. But he was conversing with the Thieving Brothers not too long ago when we were escorting him to the court."

"You think I planned to have myself tied to a boat and hauled off to prison? That's ridiculous!"

"Then why are you in my kingdom, and why you were talking to those crooks?" the king asked.

Flynn sighed. "I was here… because I made a promise to someone. I wanted to make yesterday the best day of their life, but I failed her." Queen Veronica looked at the glint in his eyes. She recognized that look. He wasn't just talking about just anyone. He was talking about someone he loved. "I know I may look guilty because I left my home, and I made my family worry, but I felt so… trapped. I was forced to meet suitors, I had where itchy cravats all the time, not to mention I couldn't even go beyond the castle walls anymore. I had to leave just to have a taste of freedom before my 18th birthday." Now the queen was sympathetic. That must've been how his daughter felt at this moment, wherever she was. Hopefully, her husband would be understanding and have mercy on the boy.

Unfortunately, her husband wasn't _that_ understanding. "Son, unless you have a witness of some kind, you are an accomplice to theft and you were alone last night with two older criminals, not with a young woman." The only witnesses Flynn could think of were Maximus and Jerrod, but he had no idea where they were. Flynn bowed his head back down. The king sighed. "Very well. Guards, take this young man and—"

"Wait!"

Flynn and the rest of the court turned to see a young man on a white stallion followed by a group of hoodlums. Flynn was never so happy to see his best friend and the crazy horse. "Jerrod! Max!" Then he saw the familiar faces behind them. "Hook Hand! Peg Leg! Big Nose! The rest of ya!"

"Flynn!" Jerrod jumped off of Maximus's saddle in front of his best friend. "Need a witness?"

Flynn laughed. "Thanks for coming, you guys. How'd you know I was in trouble?"

"Max and I saw you getting carried off by the Luna guards at the docks. I wanted find you before you could reach the palace, but Max convinced me we needed more help in order to save you."

"We found Max and the kid later last night," Peg Leg answered ruffling Jerrod's hair, "and he told us that you and the little lady were in trouble."

"We came here as fast as we could," Hook Hand added. "I'm not going to let my nephew die before he's able to fulfill his dream." Flynn was near to tears. Who knew he had so many reliable people who cared about him in his life?

"What are these hoodlums doing in my court?" the king exclaimed. His once pale face was almost red. "What is the meaning of this?"

Jerrod cleared his throat before explaining, "Your Majesty, we are here to speak for our young friend, Flynn, or better known as, Flynnigan Frederick Fitzherbert, the crowned prince of Corona."

A few of the guards were snickering. Flynn blushed with embarrassment. "Are you getting to the point anytime soon, Jerry?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Just wait." Jerrod cleared his throat again before continuing, "In the course of two days, Prince Flynn has been traveling with a young girl to help her fulfill her dream to see the lanterns and the lupines flow together in the night. These gentlemen can vouch." The bar guys in the background nodded and muttered comments that supported this claim. "Flynn and the girl came through their bar for something to eat before venturing on into the kingdom. And I'm sure your captain can tell you he saw us passing through as well while he was chasing this innocent young man here, and he saw the girl when we were in the cavern near the dam that was broken."

The captain gulped when his king looked at him. A drop of sweat went down his brow when the bar guys and Maximus looked at him as well. Flynn couldn't tell who he was more afraid of. It was almost funny.

"I'm sorry, but the voice of these…" The king narrowed his eyes at the hoodlums. "… _bar ruffians_ does not help 'Prince Flynn's' case. But I did hear about my dam breaking for some anonymous reason, but no one told me how. It's no wonder we can't get any water in this place," he muttered to the queen. She shrugged indifferently; she was very enthralled with this story and couldn't wait to hear the rest. "And by the way, who are you, and what is that horse doing in my court?"

"May I, Jerrod, son of a baker, introduce the prominent Maximus, Captain of the Corona guards."

The guards in the court all gasped, including the captain. They saluted to the horse, who held an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Maximus and I have been on the lookout for him ever since he left Corona. All we wanted to do was take him back, but when we found out about the promise he made to that young girl. All she wanted to do was see the festival, and who were we to deprive her of that dream?" In the background, a few of the hoodlums began crying and hugging each other. Flynn couldn't help rolling his eyes. Could they at least try to show some backbone? "As witness representing another witness and this young man, we say that Flynn is innocent." The king glanced at this wife. Now they knew why the captain of the Corona guards had run away. But the king was still uncertain about the young man being the prince.

"Then where were you when he was getting arrested?" the captain asked.

"We were waiting on the docks while our friend Prince Flynn here escorted the lady on a boat so she could see the lanterns and the lupines first hand, and we couldn't ruin their 'special moment'. And we all wouldn't have been able to fit in the boat, anyway."

"And may I ask where is the girl he was escorting around my kingdom on the day of my daughter's birthday?"

Jerrod's mouth was open, but no words came out. He had no idea how to answer that one. "… I believe I have no idea. We lost track of them because of the lanterns were… everywhere."

Flynn bowed his head. Jerrod was on a roll. He was his only chance of freedom, and he didn't know how else he could convince them he was the prince now. He didn't want to be stuck in the dungeon or hung or punished in anyway when Selena was still out there somewhere with that old lady the Thieving Brothers were talking about.

_Selena… that's it!_

"Very well," the king said. "Young man, you have been able to prove his innocence thus far, but without the girl—"

With his head up high, Flynn declared, "Your Majesty, if this helps my case, I know who the lost princess is."

The court was silent. The stoic guards held shocked expressions. The hoodlums in the back ground held their breath. Even Max and the captain were speechless.

"Flynn, what are you doing?" Jerrod whispered. "Lying to the king isn't going to help you."

"I'm not lying. I just realized something. It's been right in front of our faces this whole time, literally."

The queen hands stifled her gasp. She couldn't believe her ears. This young man knew where their daughter was. No one was able to find her thus far, but hearing this news brought a spark of hope into her heart. But her husband didn't share the same view. The king looked absolutely livid.

"You dare stand in front of me and mock me by mentioning my daughter's absence in my court?"

"I'm not mocking you, sir. Yesterday, the kingdom was celebrating the birth of your daughter, the lost princess. When I first arrived here, I spent the entire day wandering the village with the most amazing girl I've ever met. It also was her birthday as well as mine, and as you know, the crowned prince of Corona shares the same birthday with your princess. This also girl had white hair, just like the princess. She's the girl you're looking for, your lost princess, and I doubt you'll find a girl like her in another kingdom. And I'm sure my witnesses can tell you the same thing." The prince glanced over at Jerrod and Maximus, who nodded their heads vigorously.

"That is it!" The king stomped his foot and pointed at Flynn. "Guards take him this boy to the dungeons and—"

"No, wait!" The queen stopped the king before he could make his final edict. She looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to let her judge this man herself. When the king sat back in his throne and nodded, she went forward.

Everyone stood still as Queen Veronica made her way towards the boy in question. Seeing that he was a bit taller than her, she took his cheek and had him look her in the eye. She could see it; this boy held an awful resemblance to King Eugene of Corona.

If it wasn't for his blonde hair and hairless chin, they'd be twins. He was the crowned prince. He must've been telling the truth about their daughter. And after hearing the baker's son's story and seeing these bar guys and the palace horse here, she found the whole thing very plausible. Anything was possible when love was involved.

"Captain, release him." The captain was hesitant to comply, but he did was he was told. Once the chains were off his wrists, Flynn rubbed them and looked at the queen gratefully. "Is what you say true? Did you really… meet her?" Flynn nodded.

"Your Highness, I would never lie about something like this. I want to do nothing more than find her and bring her back to where she belongs. Ever since I ran away, I've been wondering how my parents felt knowing I was gone, and the guilt ate me up inside. I know I have to return to them, but I have to follow my heart first."

The queen looked at him quizzically. "You love her, don't you?"

Flynn looked away shyly before nodding. "Yes, I do, very much."

"… I believe you. But it's my husband you need to convince."

"It doesn't matter. I just want to rescue Selena. If he still thinks I'm guilty… then I'll run if I have to."

The queen looked away pensively. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I have an idea." Quickly, the queen ran back over to her husband and whispered something in his ear. When she was done, the king stood from his throne.

"Since my wife has a way with words," he said, "I'll give you a chance. If you can't return the princess by sundown, then my men will go come after you and you'll be hung for all the crimes you have committed."

Flynn nodded more surely this time. "I will. I won't let you down, Your Highness."

The queen smiled at him hopefully while the king sat back in his throne, an exasperated sigh escaping from his lips. Flynn and his friends quickly left the court before the king could do anything else. Once they were outside, the hoodlums walloped on him with hugs, noogies, and praises.

"Alright! Alright! I get it! Thanks!" Flynn got out of Attila's headlock. "Seriously, thank you all." Then he turned to the baker's son and the white stallion. "Especially you guys. I would've never gotten out of there if it wasn't for you two."

Jerrod patted his back fraternally. "Hey, you wouldn't have survived most things if it wasn't for me." Flynn chuckled at the fact since it was so true. He couldn't count how many times Jerrod had saved his butt whenever he was in a pinch.

"You know, you should be an attorney instead of a baker. It suits you better."

Jerrod shrugged. "Yeah well… By the way, what did happen to Selena? You guys were on the boat one minute, and then you're being hauled off to prison the next."

Flynn sighed sadly. "It's a long story. But right now, I need to find her."

"So you really do love her, huh?"

"I won't deny it, my friend. I am in love with Selena."

Jerrod and Max grinned at each other. "We knew it. It was only a matter of time before you finally confessed."

"I'm so proud of you!" Big Nose suddenly engulfed him in a hug. Flynn could barely breathe.

"Alright, Big Nose," Hook Hand said. "Let the boy go before you suffocate him." Big Nose did so and went to wipe his eyes. "Before you go, we'd just like to say how proud we are. You didn't forget that dream."

"I know, and I don't plan on it." Maximus suddenly neighed impatiently. He was giving Flynn a look to hurry up or he'd leave without him. "I guess that's my cue. I'll see you guys later."

Flynn ran over to the white stallion and climbed onto his saddle. Before he ran off, Flynn stopped Maximus. "Before we go, Max, I just want to say, thank you." Max neighed humbly. "No really. Thank you. I never thought I'd see the day you'd save my skin, but you pulled through for me today. I feel maybe that since we've known each other all these years, our rivalry has been some kind of huge misunderstanding, and we're really just…"

Flynn stopped his speech when Max gave him another look. The young man cleared his throat. "Yeah, you're right. We should probably go now."

Maximus galloped through the town, across the bridge, and finally, into the forest. Flynn looked straight ahead, very determined to find Selena before it was too late. But he knew, no matter what happened, he would continue on his quest until he found the ashen-haired girl and brought her back home safe. Because when a boy was in love, he'd risk anything to save it, even his life.

_I'm coming for you, Selena…_

* * *

><p><strong>Just a chapter and an epilogue to go!<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	12. A New Dream

**A New Dream**

"There. It never happened." Ambrose took the lupine in Selena's hair and tossed it aside. "Maybe you can use that for one of your creations. I'm sure it will fit in somewhere."

Selena did nothing but sigh. After they had returned home, she tried everything in her power to try and forget Flynn for breaking her heart and betraying her trust. But no matter how hard she tried, everything just reminded her of him.

"Now, what do you want for dinner? I'm sure that cinnamon raisin bread is still good, and with a side of something in the pantry…" Ambrose stopped talking when she saw that Selena wasn't paying any attention to her. She sighed, exasperated. "I tried to warn you about the outside world, Selena. I really did. It's a dark, cruel, and selfish place; if it finds the tiniest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."

Once Ambrose was gone, Selena pulled out a tiny blue and white flag from the Luna festival. The blue crescent moon in the middle smiled at her, reminding her of the wonderful night she had with…

A tiny squeak from behind her ear interrupted her thoughts. Pascal croaked sadly as he also looked at the flag. She petted his head consolingly. "Don't worry, Pascal. You're more than welcome to stay with us. Ambrose doesn't like animals much, though, so you're going have to stay in my room."

Pascal stuck out his tongue.

"What? It's wishful thinking assuming that Flynn will come. He was just playing us all for saps. He was in it for the money, nothing else. I can't believe he sold me out to those thieves. Some prince," she muttered sourly.

Pascal chirruped in protest.

"Pascal, I know he's your friend, but—"

Pascal climbed down her arm and off her bed until he was in front of Selena's unfinished creation. He climbed to the top where the missing moon was. Lupe, whose leg was now healed thanks to her companion's magical tresses, eventually caught on to what he was doing and joined him. She barked encouragingly towards her master.

Selena lied down on the bed as she stared at the picture. "Oh, Lupe. That dream's over and done with. There's no point…" Selena quickly sat up when she noticed something in the picture. Her missing piece of the portrait—the white lupine that Ambrose had tossed away was its perfect fit. The young woman reached down for the flower and went over to the Festival portrait. She glanced at the picture one more time before carefully pressing the pure white lupine into the portrait. It magically transformed into the moon.

Suddenly, it was like Selena was seeing for the first time. All over her room where her myriad of flower collages covered every inch of her walls, she saw thousands upon millions of crescent moons hidden in them. And then suddenly, Selena saw herself in another room. A golden moon hung over her head. When she glanced over, she saw blurry faces hanging over her heads, smiling down at her. Then she remembered the mural. She saw the same people holding a baby girl with glistening white hair. The next thing she knew, Selena looking in a mirror. The lost princess's crown was placed on her head fit her perfectly. She had the lost princess's eyes, her hair, everything…

Selena gasped as she fell back against her dressing table. Millions of questions infested her mind, making her completely confused about her life. Everything she learned was a lie. Her life was a lie. She was the lost princess. And if she was the lost princess, then that meant Ambrose had been lying about who she was this whole time.

"Selena?"

Ambrose wasn't her sister.

"Selena, what's going on up there?"

And Flynn… she was so wrong about him.

"Selena!" Ambrose slowly made her way up the stairs to get to her sister's room. She had called her sister three times and still received no answer. Something had to be wrong. When the young woman finally came out of her room, Ambrose saw that she looked almost out of breath. "Are you alright?"

Selena suddenly felt something hot swell up in her chest when she looked at Ambrose. Surprise, sadness, betrayal all rolled up in one, but only one emotion ruled above them all.

Anger.

"I'm the lost princess," she murmured.

Ambrose sighed. "Selena speak up. You know I can never understand you when you mutter under your breath like that."

Selena glared at her before saying more firmly, "I am the lost princess, aren't I, Sis? Or should I even call you that?"

At first, Ambrose seemed stunned by her question. How did Selena suddenly found out she was the lost princess in the course of three minutes? But then again, she could've been bluffing. She could keep the act up and then they could continue to live as they always had.

"Don't be ridiculous, Selena," she immediately said as she made her way up to her sister. "Do you even hear yourself? Why would—"

Selena pushed her away. "It _was_ you. It was _all_ you."

Ambrose's smile was quickly replaced with a scowl. "Everything I did was to protect you."

"Protect me? You stole me away from my parents! My _real_ parents!" Selena shoved passed Ambrose and made her way down the stairs. "I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would abuse my power when all this time, I should've been hiding from _you_! It turns out my real mother isn't dead. She and my father are the rulers of the kingdom of Luna! And you took me away from them! You took me away from everything!"

"Where do you suppose you'll go? _He's_ not going to come rescue you."

Selena's eyes widened in realization. "What did you do to Flynn?"

Ambrose smirked. "That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes."

Selena gasped. "No!" This shouldn't have happened. Flynn wasn't a criminal, after all. He was a prince, but he was going to die for crimes he didn't commit. And it was all Ambrose's doing. "This can't be happening. He's not supposed to die! He's not Flynn Rider! He's the crowned prince of Corona!"

"Now, now, it's alright." Ambrose tried to console her. "I'm sure if he is the real prince, then his punishment will be less severe. He'll probably be beheaded."

Selena cried out in horror. "NO!"

"Now calm down and listen to me, Selena. All is as it should be."

Just as she was about to pat her head, the white haired girl grabbed her wrist. "No! You were wrong about the world, and you were wrong about _me_. And I will _never_ let you use my hair again!" When she was released, Ambrose fell back against the mirror in the corner of the room, which fell and shattered. "Come on, Lupe, Pascal. Let's get out of here."

As the three began to leave, Ambrose growled under her breath. "You want me to play the bad guy? Fine. Then I'm the bad guy…"

Before her hand could reach the handle, Selena cried out when she felt her hair get pulled back. Seeing her master in trouble, Lupe quickly leapt into action and pulled at Ambrose's dress. She kicked the canine aside, sending her flying towards the kitchen table. Pascal slapped her maw with his tail. When the wolf's vertigo was gone, she quickly leapt back up to help Selena.

"Lupe, stop!" she commanded. "Find Fl—!"

Selena was knocked out when Ambrose's brush made contact with the back of her head. Lupe was hesitant to listen to her master, but she obeyed knowing that she was no use to Selena without another pair of hands. With Pascal securely on her head, Lupe ran out of the house into the depths of the forest.

Ambrose glared after the wolf as it ran. If she was able to find any help, then they'd be able to trace them back to their shoddy, little hovel. She had to move them to a different location before it was too late, but where?

A place suddenly came to mind, making the blonde grin nefariously.

She caressed Selena's cheek as she thought. "Soon, no one will find us, my little flower, and we'll be together. Forever."

* * *

><p>Flynn led Maximus through the path that led to Selena's little hovel. They needed to reach her before it was too late. He remembered what the Thieving Brothers said about the old lady who took Selena away. Referring back to his parents' legendary tale, he had a feeling he knew who this "old lady" was. There would only be one other person who'd want to use Selena's magical, ashen locks for the betterment of themselves, the one person she thought she could trust the most…<p>

As the white stallion ran through the forest, Flynn could suddenly hear a series of barks and squeaks. He recognized the yaps, and they came closer as they ran further ahead. Soon, the prince could see a gray blur running towards them. "Max, stop!"

Maximus halted in place when he saw the wolf himself. Lupe stopped her yapping when she was next to the prince. Pascal was on top of her head, squeaking rapidly. Flynn jumped off Maximus and was quickly attacked by Lupe, who licked him mercilessly. She was obviously happy to see that he was still alive.

"Okay, girl! I'm happy to see you, too." When she was done, Pascal happily jumped onto his shoulder. "I missed you too, buddy." Flynn suddenly realized someone was missing from this little party. "Where's Selena?"

Lupe started barking up again and ran ahead of them. Flynn quickly jumped back onto Maximus, who sped up to catch up with the wolf.

It wasn't long until they were back at the little hovel where Selena was trapped in. Flynn frowned when saw that the door was open. He quickly jumped off Maximus and ran inside. "Selena!" However, there was no response. No one was inside. That old lady was already ahead of them. She must've taken Selena and ran. But whereto?

Lupe already caught Selena's scent and began sniffing around. She barked again when she found a trail of the scents. "Good girl, Lupe! Find Selena!"

Once again, the prince and his friends ran after the path that led them to the lost princess. It felt like miles since they last stopped. Flynn knew at this point they weren't in Luna territory anymore. Maximus's eyes widened when he realized which path they were taking. It was too familiar. He began running ahead of Lupe when remembered the pathway. When they reached their destination, Flynn couldn't believe his eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me."

The prince was now staring at the godforsaken tower his mother was once trapped in. He was becoming his father, only this time, there was no trail of hair long enough for him to use as a rope. He'd have to climb up there himself.

"You guys stay here." He set Pascal down on Lupe's head. The little chameleon squeaked at him angrily. "Sorry, buddy. I have to do this on my own. I can't risk you getting hurt."

Maximus neighed at him. The look on his face told the prince that he'd better return. "Don't worry, Max. I'll be back soon."

Flynn started his way up the tower, struggling but persistent. When he finally made it up the window of the tower, he scrutinized the inside carefully. Everything looked as his parents had described to him. Nothing seemed to change. When he stepped inside, he felt something crunch under his feet. A long stream of brown hair, at least 70 feet long, ran under his boots. His mother's hair didn't look like it aged a day, but it was as frail as stray, crunching into dust as he stepped on it.

Suddenly, Flynn heard a soft mumble. He looked up to see Selena. He sighed in relief to see that she was fine, but then they widened when he realized she was tied up. Her mouth was covered up by a handkerchief. He quietly but quickly ran over to post to untie his true love. Unfortunately, he found that she was chained up. Cursing under his breath, Flynn tried to find another way to unfetter her.

As he did so, Selena started to wake up. When she saw the prince, her eyes widened. Flynn removed the handkerchief. "Hey, Snow White."

"Flynn, you're alive." Selena wanted nothing more than to hug him right now, but she found that her hands were chained up. So Flynn caressed her cheeks as tears began to form.

"Don't worry, Snow White. I'll get you out of this."

"No, Flynn, you have to get out before—"

"_Well~_ What have we here?" The couple stiffened and turned to find Ambrose. Something shiny and sharp-looking was in her hand. "I guess the prince was able to get out of his death sentence after all. How disappointing. Well, if you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself." Ambrose lunged at the prince.

"Flynn, watch out!" Selena cried. Flynn quickly got out of the way before he could get stabbed.

"Listen, lady. I don't know who you are, but you have no right to keep this young lady locked up! She belongs in the kingdom of Luna with her parents."

"Well, Prince Flynn, I don't believe you have the right to tell me what I should or should not do. You are, after all, at a huge disadvantage." This time, Flynn had no time to react before the older woman stabbed her dagger into his side.

Selena's eyes dilated in fear. "Flynn, no!" The prince fell, grasping his injury.

"Now look what you made me do, Selena. But don't worry. Our secret will die with him." Ambrose stepped over the groaning boy. "And as for us," she said as she untangled Selena's chains from the post, "we are going where no one will be able to find you ever again!" Selena struggled against Ambrose as she tried to reach Flynn. She called out his name desperately as the prince tried to reach out to her, too, while grasping his side. "Stop struggling, Selena!"

"No! I won't! Flynn!"

"Wait!" Flynn called out, his voice very strained with pain. "How about a deal?"

Ambrose stopped and looked at him skeptically. "What do you suggest, boy?"

"Take me… instead."

"Flynn, no—"

"Take me… in Selena's place."

Ambrose frowned. "How are you any use to me, boy?"

Flynn took another shallow breath. "I also have… healing abilities… Take me… in her… place."

Selena couldn't stand to see him so helpless. "Flynn, stop it."

"Yes, boy. Even if what you claim is true, you still aren't very useful to me now, are you? Now come on, Selena." However, Selena only continued to oppose her. Flynn reached out for her, but due to the loss of blood, he had very little strength. And unfortunately, his hair couldn't do much to help him. There was nothing else he could do. "Stop fighting me, Selena! Enough already!"

"NO!" Selena stopped struggling and fell back. "I won't stop! For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I won't stop running away from you!" Then she glanced back at Flynn. "But if you let me heal him, I will go with you."

"No… Selena…!" Flynn coughed harshly, which made her wince.

"I won't fight. I won't struggle. I will never try to escape. Just let me heal him, and you and I…" Selena gulped nervously, knowing she was giving up her freedom. But she'd do anything to save the man she loved. "You and I will be together. Forever. Just like you want. Everything will be as it once was. I promise. Just let me heal him."

Ambrose thought about it for a moment. If she let her heal the young man, then he'd be healthy enough to stop them. But not if he was tied up. "Fine." The blonde witch released Selena from her chains and used them to shackle Flynn up. "Just so you won't get any ideas of following us."

Selena immediately ran to his side. "Flynn!" She removed his hands from his side and stifled a gasp once she saw the blood. It was already dripping onto the floor. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry. Don't worry. I'm going to fix you up."

"No, Selena."

"Everything's going to be okay."

"No, it's fine. I'll…" A series of coughs erupted from his lips. "… heal."

"Flynn, you're losing too much blood too fast. There's nothing your powers can do to help you right now. I have to heal you myself."

But Flynn only continued to push her away. "I can't… I can't let you do this."

"And I can't let you die."

"But if you do this… you will…"

Selena cupped his cheek and shushed him quietly. "Everything's going to be alright," she whispered. She tried to put on her best smile. Flynn did so, too. "Now, try to sit up for me, okay? I'll help you."

"Selena wait." Flynn leaned up, staring at her lips. Selena understood his intentions and began to lean in as well. However, before their lips could meet, Flynn brought his hands up and cut her hair with a fragment of broken glass he found on the floor.

"Flynn, what'd you…?" Selena ran her hands through her hair to find it only went past her shoulders. He knew what he tried to do, but it was no use. Her hair was still as white as snow.

Suddenly, Ambrose erupted with laughter. "Nice try, boy. But it's going to take a lot more than that to try and stop me."

"I'm sorry, Snow White," Flynn said hoarsely. "It was worth a shot." He coughed again, but it lacked energy. His eyes began to close.

"No, no, no, Flynn. Don't do this." When Selena tried to heal him, she realized that her hair was too short to reach him. "Oh, no." She grabbed his hand and put it on his hand. However, the words to the healing song couldn't come to mind. She was too late. "No, don't die on me, Flynn. Stay awake. Don't…"

"Selena."

She hiccupped a sob. "What?"

"You were… my new dream…"

A tear escaped. "And you were mine."

Flynn smiled at her as he took his last breath. His blonde hair faded to brown, indicating that his powers were also gone. Selena cradled in his arms as she cried. "He's gone," whispered almost inaudibly.

"Then there's no point wasting time on his dead corpse. Come on, Selena."

"No!" the young woman shouted as she held Flynn protectively. "You said—you promised I could heal him before I went with you!"

"There's nothing you can do for him, Selena! He's dead."

Selena looked back down at the prince's face. Her tears fell upon his pale cheeks. "There is one thing I can do." Selena tenderly took cupped his face, leaned in, and began to sing:

_Flower, shining bright,_

_Revive what has been grayed,_

_Recover and be found,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

"What once was mine…" Selena kissed Flynn's cold lips. As her hair glowed, she felt the magic leave her body and enter his. His lips suddenly felt warmer. It was working. Flynn was coming back.

Ambrose didn't realize what was happening until she saw her hair. The ends of her white tresses were turning black. The blackness slowly spread further up. And before she knew it, her hands were growing winkle spots and revealing nasty veins. "No! Stop!" Ambrose reached for a piece of glass and saw that her face had also transformed. She was no longer a young, beautiful woman but an ugly, old hag. "What have you _done!_"

Selena watched in horror as the old woman advanced towards her. She hugged Flynn's body closer to hers in an attempt to protect him. Before she could reach the young couple, the old witch tripped over the long stream of brown hair and fell out the window. Her cry grew farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard. The woman was gone. Forever.

It only took Selena a moment to realize what had just happened. Then she heard a cough. "Flynn!" She held Flynn again, bringing his face up to hers. When he took another breath, Selena smiled and cried more. "Oh, Flynn."

When Flynn's eyes fluttered open, the first thing he saw was a beautiful young woman. Her hair was a luscious black color with the exception of her bangs, which were pure white. When he realized who it was, he smiled. "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?"

"Flynn, you're alive!" Selena swung her arms around his neck. Flynn expected a stinging pain in his side, but there was none. He gladly hugged her back. He took in her scent, her hair, everything, as she was in his embrace. Tears were already falling from his eyes. A moment ago, he was gone, and now he was here, holding his true love.

Then, without warning, Selena pulled him into a kiss. The warmth he felt when he came back to the land of the living returned. He never wanted that to go away.

"Come on, Snow White," he said softly. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>"I don't know, Flynn. What if they don't know it's me without my white hair?"<p>

Flynn laughed. "Of course they'll know it's you. Stop worrying."

"But I can't help it. What if we're wrong? What if what I saw in my bedroom was just a dream? What if there's another white-haired girl out there being tortured—"

"Selena, calm down." Flynn took her shoulders so she'd stop pacing. "The king and queen aren't going to love you any less without your white hair. Besides, you have some left." He brushed her white bangs out of her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. Say it with me: you are the lost princess."

"I am the lost princess."

"Good." He kissed her forehead before he sat back down on the bench. "Now sit down and keep telling yourself that."

A few minutes passed as the two waited in the courtyard for the king and queen. Their animal companions waited by their side. Flynn was able to bring Selena to Luna in time, so the guards didn't have to come after him. Now all they had to do was wait. And as they waited, Selena continued to mumble the same incantation.

"What if my name's not Selena?"

Flynn sighed. "Snow—"

"Flynn, Ambrose could've changed my name. I may not be Selena. I could be anyone else, like Tiffany or Melissa."

"It doesn't matter what your name is. You're still my Snow White." Flynn kissed her again, but it was more gently this time. Somehow, this seemed to calm her down.

"Thank you." She took his hand as they waited for her parents.

It seemed like a thousand years until she saw her parents walk into the courtyard. When they saw them, Selena stood up. The queen looked even more beautiful in person. She had the same shade of hair and her eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue she'd ever seen. Besides her eyes, they looked exactly alike. The king looked as handsome as he did in the mural, except there was more hair on his chin. They had the same eyes. These were her parents.

The queen was the first one to approach. She took cautious steps as she stared at the young woman. She put her hand under her chin and had her look up at her. Other than the lavender eyes that resembled her husband's and her white bangs, the young lady was like a younger version of herself. She was her princess.

Queen Veronica smiled, tears of happiness streaming through her eyes. When Selena saw this, she began to smile and cry, too. "My baby." Queen Veronica immediately pulled the girl into her embrace.

"Mother."

Selena looked up to see King Thomas. He also held a smile and tears in his eyes. "My princess." He pulled his wife and daughter into his arms. Their family was finally together.

As they continued to hold each other, the queen turned to the prince, who had been watching the whole thing. She noticed his hair was no longer blonde. "Thank you, Flynn."

"You're welcome."

Queen Veronica held out her hand, offering it to Flynn. He took it and was swiftly pulled into their group hug. He didn't know how long they were hugging, but he didn't care. He wanted this feeling to last forever.

**~oxo~**

Two days after the crowned prince's birthday, Rapunzel and Eugene finally received a letter from their neighboring kingdom. Their son had finally been found. Right after she read the letter, Rapunzel wasted no time getting them a carriage to the kingdom of Luna. Eugene didn't see the rush since they knew their son was safe and sound, but Rapunzel wasn't going to wait any longer for him to come home.

As soon as they were in Luna, Flynn was waiting for them with open arms. And his hair wasn't blonde anymore. Rapunzel immediately flew into them with tears of joy.

"Oh Flynn! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too." For the nth that week, Flynn cried.

Eugene joined them shortly. "It's great to see you son." Flynn hugged him when he was finally free from his mother. "You look different, son. Did you get a haircut?" he asked playfully as he ruffled his son's hair.

"Something like that."

"I'm so sorry for making you do all those things," Rapunzel apologized. "You should be free to choose your own bride, someone you love."

"Thank you, Mom. You don't know how much that means to me. I'd like you two to meet someone." For the first time, the queen and king finally noticed that there was someone standing behind their son. She was a beautiful young lady in a lovely blue gown. She looked exactly like Queen Veronica, and she had King Thomas's eyes. Her bangs were pure white. She took the prince's hand and stood nervously beside him. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Selena, my new dream."

* * *

><p><strong>One epilogue to go!<strong>

_**R&R!**_


	13. A Twisted Epilogue

**A Twisted Epilogue**

Well, you can imagine what happened next.

The kingdom rejoiced, for their lost princess had returned. Everyone was happy, including their fellow neighbor, Corona. A celebration took place and lasted longer than I could have imagined. So much had happened in the course of that week that I don't recall most of it. Everybody's dreams were coming true that day.

Peg Leg started accompanying his brother Hook Hand, and they played concerts all over the world. I don't quite remember what the rest of the bar guys were doing, but I'm sure they're doing just fine as well. One I saw the other day had his own candle shop and another was sewing for the local orphans. As for the Thieving Brothers… well, they didn't have a very happy ending, but at least I never had to see them again.

The animals were doing great, too. Maximus returned to his position as the captain of the guards in Corona. However, during the celebration, he met Luna's captain of the guard, a very fine mare by the name of Alpha. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a little Max, Jr. on the way. Pascal was, well, Pascal, but it was no secret that he was starting to get a little familiar with a certain wolf. Lupe was a little hesitant at first, but two were actually getting closer and closer to one another each day. I never felt prouder of the little chameleon.

At last, Selena was reunited with her loving parents, the gracious King Thomas and the gentle Queen Veronica. She was home. And she was a princess worth waiting for. Loved by all, she led the kingdom with the love and grace her parents did before her. And I had never seen her so happy.

And as for me, well, I was once again the crowned prince of Corona, soon-to-be ruler of the land. Fortunately, no one knew that I had disappeared the day before my birthday except for the residents in the castle—my grandmother, Rosemarie, and Teddy, who all welcomed me in opened arms (except for Rosemarie, who punched me in the arm for making her worry so much)—so everything went back to normal. My mother kept her promise and let me choose my bride. So after years and years and _years_ of asking, I finally proposed to Selena.

_Flynn, aren't you exaggerating a bit?_

Alright, alright. At first, her father was very hesitant to give his only daughter away, but thanks to the queen and her magical gift of persuasion, he finally gave us his blessing and we married the week after her homecoming celebration. As soon as we were married, our two kingdoms united and became one. Peace spread throughout the land, lasting for eternity. Now Selena and I are living in peace, spreading joy through the kingdom, and decorating the nursery for our little one.

_And we're living happily ever after._

Yes, we are.

**The End.**

* * *

><p><strong>Look for my new Disney fanfic: The Hawkins Chronicles, a Treasure Planet story.<strong>

_**R&R!**_


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